Zac Efron in talks for Rob Reiner thriller “You Belong to Me” opposite Harrison Ford

October 31, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Zac Efron is really ready to shed that nice guy teen heartthrob image. He’s set to dive into villainy, as The Wrap reports the “High School Musical” star is in talks to headline thriller “You Belong to Me”, which will be directed by Rob Reiner and co-star Harison Ford.

Ford is in talks for the role of a psychiatrist who has a hard time dealing with the suicide of a female patient. He ends up bonding with the young woman’s brother, James (Efron) and invites the young man into his life. Things quickly get out of hand as James sets out to seduce Ford’s character’s wife and daughter, with the action described as being in the vein of “Cape Fear.” Reiner will begin directing the project in March 2013.

Efron has been working hard to take on interesting and unexpected roles post-“High School Musical” tween idol status, with the most recent being the duo of Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy” and Ramin Bahrani’s family drama “At Any Price”, both of which hit the festival circuit this year. This fall he will film rom com “Are We Officially Dating?” with fellow rising star Miles Teller, and cown the pike he also has ensemble family dramedy “This Is Where I Leave You” with Jason Bateman, Malin Akerman and Jason Sudekis, as well as frat house comedy “Townies” with Seth Rogen awaiting production.

Imogen Poots reunites with “A Long Way Down” co-star Aaron Paul for “Need for Speed” adaptation

October 31, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Imogen Poots has landed the female lead role in video game adaptation “Need for Speed”, according to THR, and will be reuniting with her “A Long Way Down” co-star Aaron Paul, who was the first to sign on to the big budget blockbuster a couple of weeks ago.

Brothers George Gatins and John Gatins developed the original story which is based on the entire Electronic Arts video game franchise, rather than one specific game. According to the press release, it will be “a fast-paced, high-octane film rooted in the tradition of the great car culture films of the 70s while being extremely faithful to the spirit of the video game franchise.” Poots will play a rising star on the stock car racing scene, whose father has “bet the farm” on her winning. No word yet on Paul’s male lead role. Scott Waugh is attached to direct, with a tentative early 2013 shoot planned, for a projected 2014 release.

Poots, last seen on the big screen in the remake of “Fright Night” opposite Anton Yelchin, recently wrapped up roles in Terrence Malick’s “Knight of Cups”, Jimi Hendrix biopic “All is By My Side” and Nick Hornby novel adaptation “A Long Way Down.” She may still be in the running to play the female lead opposite Chris Evans in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, though the “Need for Speed” schedule would seem to cast some doubt on that front.

Nicole Beharie, Olivia Wilde and Hailee Steinfeld to star in Civil War drama “The Keeping Room”

October 30, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Olivia Wilde, Hailee Steinfeld and “Shame” star Nicole Beharie will star in gritty Civil War set drama “The Keeping Room”, according to THR.

Written by Julia Hart and to be directed by Daniel Barber, the film will follow two sisters and one slave during the dying days of the Civil War who are forced to defend their home from a band of soldiers who have broken off from the Union Army. Filming will begin in March 2013 in North Carolina.

Steinfeld is no stranger to Westerns, having made her feature film debut and earned her first Oscar nomination for her role as Mattie Ross in the Coen Brothers’ “True Grit.” She has been steadily working since, and will have a big 2013 when films including “Ender’s Game” and “Romeo and Juliet”, in which she has lead roles, will be released. She recently wrapped up filming on indie musical drama “Can a Song Save Your Life?” and is currently filming “Hateship, Friendship” opposite Kristen Wiig.

Wilde also has Western experience, if you count “Cowboys and Aliens.” One of the busiest young actresses working today, she was last seen opposite Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks in family drama “People Like Us” and is currently filming anthology style romantic drama “Third Person” opposite Liam Neeson. Awaiting release are such high profile flicks as Ron Howard’s “Rush” opposite Chris Hemsworth, Spike Jonze’s “Her” with Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams and magician comedy “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” opposite Steve Carell and Jim Carrey.

Beharie played Marianne opposite Michael Fassbender in visionary director Steve McQueen’s modern masterpiece “Shame”, and will next be seen opposite newcomer Chadwick Boseman, who plays Jackie Robinson in baseball biopic “42.”

Frank Grillo to play villain Crossbones in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

October 29, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

We still don’t know for sure who will be playing Sharon Carter in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, but the latest Marvel flick does have another villain now locked down. After a week of rumor and speculation, Variety confirms “End of Watch” actor Frank Grillo has closed his deal to play Brock Rumlow, who would ultimately adopt the villainous moniker Crossbones, opposite Chris Evans returning as supersoldier/Avenger Steve Rogers.

Grillo teased fans last week when he tweeted about meeting with Marvel and hoping a deal could be worked out, along with the hashtags #CaptainAmerica and #bones. Well, work out it did, and Grillo becomes the latest to join the cast that already includes Sebastian Stan returning as Bucky Barnes, who becomes the titular Winter Soldier, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, as well as fellow newbie Anthony Mackie, who takes on the role of the Falcon. And of course, whoever lands the role of Sharon Carter, be it Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jessica Brown Findlay or any of the other dozen names mentioned in relation to that particular casting. Anthony and Joseph Russo will direct “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” next March, with a release already set for April 4, 2014.

Grillo has been acting steadily on TV and in movies for years, but is undeniably having a bit of a moment on the big screen right now, thanks to a string of impressive supporting turns, first opposite Joel Edgerton in “Warrior”, then Liam Neeson in “The Grey” and most recently opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena in “End of Watch.” He’ll surely impress further when he reteams with Edgerton in Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” and with Mackie in “Gangster Squad.”

“Narnia” star Georgie Henley joins “Moonrise Kingdom”‘s Kara Hayward in “The Sisterhood of Night”

October 29, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

“The Sisterhood of Night” has added another member, as Deadline reports “The Chronicles of Narnia” star Georgie Henley has boarded the teen secret society drama, joining “Moonrise Kingdom” star Kara Hayward as well as young actress Morgan Turner, who both signed on last week.

Deadline reports Henley has landed the lead role of Mary in the film, a member of the New Jersey suburban secret society The Sisterhood of Night, which is exposed at the hands of Hayward’s character Emily, the high school’s resident gossip girl. The small suburban town the girls live in is turned upside down as a witch-hunt ensues, with townspeople and the blogosphere trying to discover exactly what goes on in the woods at night. Marilyn Wu scripted the film back in 2007, and Caryn Waechter is on board to direct the film that will deal with the loneliness, tragedy and humor of adolescence all while growing up in the digital age.

Henley, who is still most known for playing youngest sibling Lucy Pevensie in all three “The Chronicles of Narnia” adaptations, recently completed filming on “Perfect Sisters” (formerly “The Class Project”) opposite Abigail Breslin.

Haley Bennett to star in psychological thriller “Kristy”

October 29, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Haley Bennett, aka Terrence Malick’s newest discovery, has landed the lead role in psychological thriller “Kristy”, according to Variety. And not to dismissed as just another indie horror flick, this one’s got the backing of the Weinsteins and Dimension Films.

Described as being in the vein of “Rosemary’s Baby”, Bennett will play the titular Kristy, a college student who is alone on campus over Thanksgiving break. A random encounter with a gang of violent outcasts leads them to target her as their next victim, and she must “conquer her deepest fears to outwit them and fight back.” Oliver Blackburn will direct from a script by Scott Rosenberg and Gary Fielder, which was recently given a rewrite by Anthony Jaswinski.

Bennett is no stranger to genre flicks, having also played the titular possessed girl in “The Haunting of Molly Hartley” and was the other finalist when Kimberly Pierce was searching for a new “Carrie” (Chloe Moretz ultimately won out). She recently completed work on indie “Deep Powder” opposite Shiloh Fernandez and is part of Malick’s currently filming untitled Texas music scene drama, also starring Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman.

Nina Arianda and Michael Pitt to “Rob the Mob” in true crime thriller

October 29, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Michael Pitt and Nina Arianda will headline crime thriller “Rob the Mob”, according to Deadline.

The true story, scripted for the big screen by Jonathan Fernandez, will follow Pitt and Arianda as a New York couple who target and rob some of the biggest mobsters in town. Naturally, they get in a bit over their heads and end up on the run with not just the mob, but also the authorities and their own families hot on their trail. Raymond De Felitta will direct with international rights currently up for grabs at AFM.

Pitt plays James ‘Jimmy’ Darmody on HBO’s hit series “Boardwalk Empire” and can currently be seen opposite Colin Farrell and Christopher Walken in “Seven Psychopaths.” Arianda, a recent Tony winner for “Venus in Fur” on Broadway, recently landed a string of big screen projects, the most high profile of which being the role of Janis Joplin in Sean Durkin’s biopic of the late singer.

“The Artist” Oscar winner Jean Dujardin joins all-star cast in George Clooney’s “The Monuments Men”

October 29, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

George Clooney is stepping back behind the camera for his follow-up to political thriller “The Ides of March” and this time he’s assembled an even more A-list cast in front of the camera. For the WWII set drama “The Monuments Men”, Clooney will also star, alongside Daniel Craig, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville and Bob Balaban.

Clooney and producing partner Grant Heslov wrote the script based on the true story of the Monuments Men, American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others who raced against the clock to track down hidden stashes of invaluable art pieces which Hitler and the Nazi regime stole, deemed “degenerate” and intended to destroy. Filming begins on March 1st in Europe.

Dujardin, who beat Clooney’s “The Descendants” performance for the Best Actor Oscar last year for his completely silent work in “The Artist”, is already quite known in his native France particularly for his roles in James Bond spoof films “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and “OSS 117: Lost in Rio”, though he’s certainly getting a well-deserved introudction to American audiences now. Since his Oscar win, he has been cast and is currently filming opposite Leonardo Dicaprio in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Bradley Cooper sought for Cameron Crowe’s next opposite Emma Stone

October 27, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Looks like there’s no rest for the highly in demand, as Deadline reports that despite a a rapidly filling up dance card, Bradley Cooper has landed yet another high profile role, and is likely to make a deal to join Emma Stone in Cameron Crowe’s next film, largely presumed to be the Hawaii-set “Deep Tiki.”

In development since 2008, the film at one time had Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon attached to the two lead roles, and will now see Cooper taking over Stiller’s role of a military consultant assigned to oversee a secret satellite launch on a Hawaii base. There, he begins to fall for an uptight colleague, presumably played by Stone, who seems a bit young, to be perfectly honest. Although, Crowe has reportedly rewritten the script and it could now differ greatly from what it used to be. Filming will being next spring.

Cooper has been garnering buzz for his performance in David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” opposite Jennifer Lawrence, with many agreeing it’s a breakthrough moment for the actor previously best known for lighter fare like “The Hangover” and “Valentine’s Day.” His more recent and upcoming slate is certainly much more interesting and impressive, with recent turns opposite Ryan Gosling in multi-generational crime drama “The Place Beyond the Pines” and again opposite Lawrence in Susanna Bier’s “Serena.” He will re-team with “Silver Linings” director O’ Russell on the previously titled “American Bullshit” opposite Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams, and is attached to 1950s set crime drama “Bad Blood and Trouble.”

Jeremy Renner joins Julianne Moore and Al Pacino in dramedy “Imagine”

October 24, 2012 | Posted by Lindsey Young in Casting Leave a comment

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jeremy Renner will star opposite Al Pacino in the dramedy “Imagine.” The film tells the story of an aging 1970s rocker (Pacino) who discovers an undelivered letter written to him in his younger days penned by none-other than John Lennon. After he receives this letter, he makes the attempt to straighten out his life and give up his “hard-living ways”. This road leads him to reconnect with the son (played by Renner) he’s neglected to get to know. The film title, of course, is taken from the iconic ballad written and produced by Lennon.

“Imagine” is scheduled to begin production in Spring of 2013. The film marks the directorial debut of writer Dan Fogelman and will also star Julianne Moore as the owner of a New Jersey hotel where Pacino’s character checks in.

Renner just finished up filming in New York for James Gray‘s “Low Life” and will next be seen opposite Gemma Arterton in “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” which hits theatres on January 25th, 2013.

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