“Twilight” star Ashley Greene may join Haley Bennett in “Satanic” thriller

November 9, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

“Twilight” star Ashley Greene is being eyed for a role in thriller/horror “Satanic” (formerly titled “Kristy”), according to The Wrap. The Weinstein backed film already has Haley Bennett cast in the lead role, and revolves around a group of college students who are attacked in their dorms over Thanksgiving break. Bennett’s Kristy leads the group in their attempt to survive and unmask their attackers. Oliver Blackburn is directing from a script by Anthony Jaswinski. Filming is expected to begin in mid-November and last through December in New Orleans.

Greene is most known for her role as Alice Cullen in “Twilight”, the finale of which, “Breaking Dawn Part II”, wraps up the vampire saga when it releases next week. She was last seen in horror pic “The Apparition” opposite Sebestian Stan, as well as quirky indie comedy “Butter” opposite Jennifer Garner and Olivia Wilde and recently wrapped up shooting on indie musical drama “CBGB”, based on the iconic New York night club.

Watch: Olivia Wilde challenges Jennifer Garner in first trailer for political satire “Butter”

August 23, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos 2 Comments

Nearly a year after premiering at the Telluride Film Festival in 2011, The Weinstein Company’s quirky indie comedy “Butter” may finally be seeing the light of day. Starring Jennifer Garner as a thinly veiled satire of prominent female Republican political candidates, the Jim Field Smith-directed film centers around a butter carving competition that is the highlight of a small western town. Garner’s uptight champion’s wife character would like to keep the trophy in the family and parlay it into a political career, but her plans are marred when her husband (Ty Burell) begins fooling around with Olivia Wilde, who dons a black wig and skimpy clothing to play the town harlot/stripper. The two women’s rivalry spills over into the competition, and an innocent young orphan (Yara Shahidi) with a natural talent for carving butter gets caught in the middle.

The ensemble cast is rounded out by Hugh Jackman, Alicia Silverstone, Ashley Greene and Rob Corddry. “Butter” will finally be released on VOD on September 7th and in theaters on October 5th. See the first trailer below.

“Twilight” star Ashley Greene lands female lead in rock club pic “CBGB”

June 7, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Ashley Greene has landed the female lead in indie punk scene drama “CBGB”, named for the famed New York rock club it revolves around, reports Variety. Greene will play Lisa Kristal, eventual business manager of the club and daughter to the club’s owner Hilly Kristal, who will be played by Alan Rickman.

In the script, Kristal is depicted as a fiery young woman who often clashed with her father, but ultimately ends up going to law school in order to help him keep the club. CBGB eventually closed down in 2008, and Kristal, who now controls the estate, is an executive producer on the film. The cast is rounded out by Malin Akerman playing Blondie singer Debbie Harry, Rupert Grint, Johnny Galecki, Stana Katic, Joel David Moore, Peter Vack, Kerry Bische, Taylor Hawkins, Mickey Sumner, Steven Schub and Evan Alex Cole. Randall Miller will direct later this month in Savannah, GA, from a script he wrote with Jody Savin.

Greene is most known for her role as Alice Cullen in “Twilight”, the finale of which, “Breaking Dawn Part II”, wraps up the vampire saga this November. She also has the female lead in horror pic “The Apparition” opposite Sebestian Stan out this September, as well as quirky indie comedy “Butter” opposite Jennifer Garner and Olivia Wilde.

Olivia Wilde and Brie Larson to play sisters in rom com “Relanxious”

March 13, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Up and coming funny ladies Olivia Wilde and Brie Larson are joining “Saturday Night Live” comedians Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen in relationship comedy “Relanxious”, according to Deadline.

Christopher Storer will make his directorial debut on the film, which revolves around Wilde as anxiety-ridden Barrett, who meets and falls for Sudeikis’ George, an agoraphobic (that’s the fear of wide, open spaces). Their combined phobias limit their relationship to long phone calls in which they detail the dates they would go on if they weren’t so afraid of the outside world. The two attempt to put their fears aside to pursue a real-life romance, but of course that’s not as easy as it looks. Larson will play Wilde’s sister while Armisen plays Sudeikis’ friend and only connection to the outside world.

Wilde is currently filming Ron Howard’s Formula One biopic “Rush” opposite Chris Hemsworth and recently completed work on magician comedy “Burt Wonderstone” opposite Steve Carell and Jim Carrey. Larson played evil ex Envy Adams in Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs the World” and will next be seen opposite Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as the female lead in “21 Jump Street.”

First Look: Olivia Wilde and Ashley Greene in quirky indie comedy “Butter”

November 16, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

Olivia Wilde goes bad and Ashley Greene goes good in our first look at the two up and comers in quirky indie comedy “Butter.” In the Jim Field Smith directed film, Jennifer Garner stars as Laura, a thinly veiled parody of famous female Republican politicians, the wife of a former butter-carving champion (“Modern Family”‘s Ty Burell) who decides to keep the winning streak in the family and signs up to carve some butter herself.

Wilde is Brooke, a vengeful and outrageous stripper who challenges Laura’s fight for supremacy, while an outside contender, a young orphan (Yara Shahidi) who seems to have a natural knack for butter carving (hey, we all have to be good at something) threatens to win the whole thing. Meanwhile, Greene looks meeker and younger than we’ve ever seen her as Laura’s daughter. See the new images of Wilde and Greene below, and head to The Playlist for more new images of other actors from the film, including Hugh Jackman, Alicia Silverstone and more.

After the film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and failed to create much Oscar buzz, it will now be shelved until March 16, 2012. Going by what else comes out that day, “Butter” seems like a safe bet.

Olivia Wilde wins female lead in “Burt Wonderstone” opposite Steve Carell and Jim Carrey

October 31, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

That was fast! Olivia Wilde has beaten out the likes of Judy Greer, Sarah Silverman, Jessica Biel and Michelle Monaghan to win the coveted female lead in magician comedy “Burt Wonderstone”, reports THR. She is now in negotiations to join a cast that includes Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini and Steve Buscemi in the Don Scardino directed film.

Carell stars as the title character, a traditional Las Vegas magician who is left abandoned by longtime partner (Buscemi), is upstaged by a hip street magician played by Carrey and must rediscover his love of magic. Wilde will play Burt’s love interest, his former assistant who now works for Carrey’s charcter. Filming is scheduled to begin in January.

The hard working Wilde can currently be seen opposite Justin Timberlake in Andrew Niccol’s “In Time” and has wrapped Jennifer Garner’s ensemble comedy “Butter”, along with family dramas “Welcome to People” with Chris Pine and “Blackbird” with Eric Bana. She’s also scheduled to shoot “Better Living Through Chemistry” opposite Sam Rockwell this fall and recently landed another highly coveted female lead, opposite Chris Hemsworth in Ron Howard’s Formula One racing biopic “Rush.”

Olivia Wilde joins “Rush” opposite Chris Hemsworth

October 4, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Olivia Wilde continues her takeover of Hollywood by adding another highly coveted female lead to her growing resume. Deadline reports Wilde will portray onetime supermodel Suzy Miller in Ron Howard’s racing biopic “Rush” opposite Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl as Niki Lauda, whose rivalry set the Formula One racing world aflame in the 1970s.

The film, scripted by Peter Morgan, chronicles the two men’s fight for dominance in the sport in the 1970′s. Hunt went on to win the 1976 title, while Lauda, who won the World Championship three times, crashed in a near-fatal accident in the same race. Wilde’s Miller falls for and marries Hemsworth’s Hunt, but the relationship is short-lived as she soon falls for his actor friend, Richard Burton. Burton then proceeded to pay Miller’s legal fees in her divorce proceedings, freeing her up to marry him shortly after. Deadline reports Howard is keen to get Russell Crowe to cameo as Burton.

The hard working Wilde will be seen in Jennifer Garner’s ensemble comedy “Butter” and opposite Justin Timberlake in Andrew Niccol’s “In Time”, along with family dramas “Welcome to People” with Chris Pine and “Blackbird” with Eric Bana. She’s also scheduled to shoot “Better Living Through Chemistry” opposite Sam Rockwell this fall and may or may not still be a contender for the last remaining female lead opposite Tom Cruise in the sci-fi epic previously known as “Horizons.” Jessica Chastain landed the first female lead a couple of weeks ago.

“Twilight” star Ashley Greene is “Olivia Twisted” in modernized Dickens tale

September 13, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Ashley Greene will be a gender-swapped modern version of Charles Dickens’ iconic orphan “Oliver Twist” in an updated twist of an adaptation called “Olivia Twisted”, reports Variety from Toronto. Greene will reunite with producer Michael De Luca on the film, after having starred in the TIFF premiered ensemble comedy “Butter” for him.

Michael Roberts wrote the script, which follows 19-year-old Olivia, the leader of a group of highly trained homeless street urchins. When they are assigned a kidnapping job, they “find themselves in the middle of a turf war between warring criminal factions.” The film will seek to combine “classic Dickensian elements with a unique gothic backdrop.”

Gothic backdrops should be something of a comfort zone for Greene, an alum of all five “Twilight” films, where she played nice vampire Alice Cullen. Part 1 of “Breaking Dawn” will be released in November, with Part 2 following a year later. Greene has also completed her first starring role in a studio feature, the horror film “The Apparition” opposite Sebastian Stan, releasing next February and will be seen opposite Miley Cyrus in high school rom-com “LOL.”

Olivia Wilde to have “The Longest Week” in indie comedy

September 9, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

The ever-busy Olivia Wilde has attached herself to yet another project. Variety reports from Toronto that Wilde has been tapped to star in indie comedy “The Longest Week”, which Peter Glanz is making his feature directorial debut on.

The film revolves around a young man named Conrad Valmont, “affluent and aimless, who lives a life of leisure in his parents’ prestigious Manhattan hotel. In the span of one week, he finds himself evicted, disinherited and in love.” Wilde will play his love interest. Glanz is basing the pic on his own black and white short titled “A Relationship in Four Days”, which premiered in Cannes in 2008. Model Liesl Gaffney-Dawson and commercial actor Peter Chekvala played the couple back then, but everything, including the characters’ names, seems to be changing for the feature.

Wilde will be seen in TIFF-bound ensemble comedy “Butter” and opposite Justin Timberlake in Andrew Niccol’s “In Time”, along with family dramas “Welcome to People” with Chris Pine and “Blackbird” with Eric Bana. She’s also scheduled to shoot “Better Living Through Chemistry” opposite Sam Rockwell this fall and remains in the mix for one of the female leads opposite Tom Cruise in sci-fi epic “Horizons.”

Olivia Wilde to replace Jennifer Garner in “Better Living Through Chemistry”

August 25, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 3 Comments

Call it a win-win situation. Jennifer Garner is gearing up to welcome a third child, and subsequently has left the door open for Olivia Wilde to add another movie to her rapidly filling upcoming slate. Garner had been attached to play the female lead in dark indie comedy “Better Living Through Chemistry”, but due to her just-announced pregnancy, has had to drop out. Variety reports Wilde is now in negotiations to take her place opposite Sam Rockwell (who himself is a replacement, taking the role left vacant by Jeremy Renner).

Directed by Geoff Moore and David Posamentier, “Chemistry” follows a straight-laced pharmicist (Rockwell) whose life spirals out of control after he begins an affair with Wilde’s character, a trophy wife regular customer that “takes him on a joyride involving sex, drugs and possibly murder.” Michelle Monaghan plays Rockwell’s neglected wife. Filming is set to begin this fall.

Wilde was recently seen in summer flops “Cowboys and Aliens” and “The Change-Up” but will have plenty more chances to turn her luck around. She co-stars with Garner in ensemble comedy “Butter”, headed for TIFF next month, and also stars alongside Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried in Andrew Niccol’s sci-fi thriller “In Time.” In addition, she has also completed work on family drama/thriller “Blackbird” with Eric Bana and Charlie Hunnam and “Welcome to People”, where she plays Chris Pine’s love interest. It’s no wonder her character Thirteen will finally be written off Fox series “House”, freeing Wilde up for a movie career that increasingly demands her full attention.

Page 1 of 212 »