Raffey Cassidy to Play Child Robot in “Tomorrowland” Opposite George Clooney

April 18, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

raffey-cassidy After a major search, British child actress Raffey Cassidy has landed the pivotal role of a child robot in Brad Bird’s highly secretive sci-fi project “Tomorrowland”, which stars George Clooney and Hugh Laurie, according to THR.

Though the plot is being kept tightly under wraps, the casting seem to confirm earlier rumored reports of the movie’s plot. According to Hitfix, the official logline reads as follows: “A teenage girl, a genius middle-aged man (who was kicked out of Tomorrowland) and a pre-pubescent girl robot attempt to get to and unravel what happened to Tomorrowland, which exists in an alternative dimension, in order to save Earth.” Cassidy’s robot has existed for decades and is also a skilled fighter who has a previous relationship with Clooney’s character, also described as “a bitter inventor.” Her inventor? That would be my theory. Filming begins in August and “Tomorrowland” has a December 19, 2014 release date.

Cassidy has made a career thus far of playing younger versions of characters – she played a young Snow White to Kristen Stewart’s grown-up version in “Snow White and the Huntsman” and a young witch Angelique in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows”, played as an adult by Eva Green. She currently stars opposite Jeremy Piven in ITV/PBS series “Mr. Selfridge.”

Three Actresses Testing for “Cinderella”, “Game of Thrones” Actor Up for Prince

April 3, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Since Emma Watson won’t put on that glass slipper, Disney and director Kenneth Branagh are moving on in their search for “Cinderella.” Today Deadline reports three relatively unknown young actresses will be auditioning for the role this week in London, while a “Game of Thrones” actor is one of the names being bandied about for the role of the handsome Prince.

British actress Lily James and Aussies Bella Heathcote and Margot Robbie will be testing for the titular role this week, and Deadline seems confident one of the three is likely to emerge as the winner. Before offering the role to Watson, Disney had considered more known rising stars Saorise Ronan, Alicia Vikander and Gabriella Wilde for the part, though due to scheduling and other issues, none of them could be locked down.

After the poor girl turned Princess is chosen, the search will begin in earnest for her Prince. At the moment, the only name to surface in connection to that role is Richard Madden, who plays boy king Robb Stark on HBO series “Game of Thrones.” Meanwhile, Cate Blanchett is still attached to the role of Cinderella’s evil stepmother, which surely proves to be a major draw for young actors to this potentially star-making project. A fall production start is being eyed.

Heathcote has gone down the fairy tale princess route before, as she first caught our attention when she was shortlisted for the lead in “Snow White and the Huntsman.” She’s landed on plenty of shortlists for high profile young female roles since, and has worked steadily in films like “Dark Shadows” and “Not Fade Away.” Robbie was the star of ABC’s short lived series “Pan Am” before landing a major break as the female lead opposite Leonardo Dicaprio in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming “The Wolf of Wall Street.” James played Korrina in “Wrath of the Titans” and appeared as Lady Rose MacClare in the third and fourth season of “Downton Abbey.”

Chloe Moretz Goes to “Dark Places” With Charlize Theron

April 1, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Chloe Moretz is in talks to join Charlize Theron in the adaptation of Gillian Flynn novel “Dark Places”, according to Deadline. Gilles Paquet-Brenner is writing the script and will direct the adaptation of the 2009 hit novel.

Theron takes over the role of Libby Day, originally earmarked for Amy Adams, who, at seven years old, witnessed the murder of her entire family and later testified that her fifteen year old brother Ben was the killer. Twenty-five years later, a secret society obsessed with solving notorious crimes pumps Libby for the truth as they uncover clues that point to Ben’s innocence. Moretz is in line for the role of Diondra, who will appear in flashback scenes along with the then-teenage Ben.

Moretz recently wrapped up reprising her role as Hit Girl in “Kick Ass 2″, out this August, and will next be seen in Kimberly Pierce’s “Carrie” remake, out in October. She recently signed on to star opposite Anne Hathaway, Sam Rockwell and Mark Webber in Lynn Shelton’s next feature, “Laggies” and is attached to the lead in Young Adult adaptation “If I Stay.”

Bella Heathcote Joins Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei in Untitled Comedy

March 7, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

bella-heathcote Aussie rising star Bella Heathcote has not yet found that breakout role to propel her to the next level but she continues to work steadily in Hollywood following her win of the 2010 Heath Ledger Scholarship from Australians in Film. Today Variety reports she has booked her next gig, an untitled romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei.

Marc Lawrence wrote the script and will direct the film about Grant’s character, a washed-up, broke and divorced former award-winning screenwriter who is forced to teach a screenwriting class at a small college. He hopes to make some easy money while enjoying the company of impressionable young co-eds (Heathcote will play one of his students) but Tomei’s character, a single mom who goes back to school, catches his attention instead. Filming begins in April.

Heathcote will film this after she completes work on the currently filming Derek Martini’s adaptation of “The Curse of Downer’s Grove”, which co-stars Lucas Till and Kevin Zegers. Her first major Hollywood role came in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows”, which paired her with Johnny Depp. She was also seen in David Chase’s coming of age rock n roll tale “Not Fade Away” and still consistently shows up on shortlists for high profile female roles. You gotta believe she’ll land one sooner or later. In the meantime, she’s got her hands full with indies, including drug cartel thriller “The Preppie Connection”, which films this summer.

Bella Heathcote to star in “The Curse of Downer’s Grove” opposite Lucas Till

February 14, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

bella-heathcote Australian actress Bella Heathcote has been cast in the female lead role in indie thriller “The Curse of Downer’s Grove”, according to Variety. Lucas Till, Kevin Zegers and Aimee Teegarden were cast in the film a few weeks back, while Penelope Mitchell has also jumped on board.

Derek Martini will direct the film from a script he co-wrote with Bret Easton Ellis, based on the novel “Downer’s Grove” by Michael Hornburg. Heathcote will play the lead character of Chrissie, an unusual high school senior in a suburban town who juggles family drama, unwanted attention from a school bully and attraction to a hot older man all while worrying about the curse that seems to exist in her town: Every year before school ends a member of the graduating class is killed in bizarre fashion. Filming is expected to start in the spring.

Heathcote starred opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” and was seen most recently in David Chase’s musical coming of age drama “Not Fade Away.” She is also attached to indie drug cartel thriller “The Preppie Connection” opposite Evan Peters, with filming expected to begin over the summer.

Chloe Moretz replaces Dakota Fanning in YA adaptation “If I Stay”

January 23, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

One of our most anticipated but long-gestating projects appears to finally be getting some traction, with Variety reporting documentary director RJ Cutler is in talks to direct and Chloe Moretz attached to star in “If I Stay”, the Gaylfe Forman young adult novel that had Dakota Fanning in the lead role back in 2010.

Moretz will play the role of Mia, a young classical musician with an adoring family and rocker boyfriend. When she and her entire family are in a catastrophic car accident, she finds herself on the edge of death and having an out of body experience. She watches as her boyfriend, friends and family gather by her bedside and must decide between waking up to deal with the aftermath of the accident or giving up on life and dying. Fifteen year old Moretz seems too young for the role to us, particularly given the book’s sequel “Where She Went” jumps forward in time by several years.

Moretz, who broke out in 2010 with the twofer “Kick-Ass” and “Let Me In”, is gearing up for a big 2013. She recently wrapped up reprising her role as Hit-Girl in “Kick Ass 2″, as well as the titular role in Kimberly Pierce’s remake of horror classic “Carrie”, both of which will release this year.

Bella Heathcote and Evan Peters to make “The Preppie Connection”

January 22, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Rising stars Bella Heathcote and Evan Peters have been cast in indie drug cartel drama “The Preppie Connection”, according to Deadline. Joe Castelo will direct this summer in New York City.

The film is based on a true story and follows a group of prep school students who ran a drug trafficking ring in the 1980s. Peters will prsumably play Toby, a lower-class scholarship student who utilizes his connection to easy drug access to get “in” with the popular kids, eventually cultivating a successful trafficking network. He gets in over his head when he and his friends cross paths with the much more powerful and sinister Colombian drug cartels.

Evans, who recently wrapped up filming on indies “Adult World” with Emma Roberts and “Truck Stop” with Juno Temple, is most known for his TV work on Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story.” He’s completed two stand-alone seasons of the FX horror series, and is expected to return for season three, which features another brand-new storyline. Heathcote starred opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” and was seen most recently in David Chase’s musical coming of age drama “Not Fade Away.”

Thomas McDonnell joins Evan Rachel Wood in “10 Things I Hate About Life”

December 4, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Has Evan Rachel Wood found her reason for living at last? Deadline reports Disney’ “Prom” star Thomas McDonnell has joined the cast of indie rom com “10 Things I Hate About Life.” Wood plays a suicidal young woman who meets an equally suicidal young man and the two fall in love and rediscover their will to live in one another. Though the article doesn’t specify, we presume McDonnell is playing the male lead.

The film is being produced and directed by writer/director Gil Junger and producer Andrew Lazar, respectively, who brought us “10 Things I Hate About You”, but this film is not a sequel to the Julia Stiles/Heath Ledger cult classic in any way. They’re apparently just really bad at coming up with new movie titles. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” actress Elodie Yung is also part of the cast, as is Janet Montgomery, the star of recently cancelled CBS series “Made in Jersey.” Filming begins soon in Los Angeles.

McDonnell’s career is an interesting case study in the danger of hype. While he may be most known for “Prom”, around a year ago he had begun being touted as a “young Johnny Depp”, landed on shortlists for high profile films (he landed none) and it all culminated in being cast as the young Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows.” That turned out to be a deleted role in a lackluster film, and he was also replaced in Sundance entry “The Spectacular Now” by Miles Teller. McDonnell has since turned to TV work, most recently guest-starring on “Suburgatory” opposite Jane Levy.

Chloe Moretz set for dysfunctional family comedy “Man Under” opposite Tim Robbins and Michelle Pfeiffer

November 7, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Chloe Moretz, Tim Robbins and Michelle Pfeiffer will play house for dysfunctional family comedy “Man Under”, according to Deadline. Robbins will also direct the film from a screenplay by Ann Cherkis, which follows a New York family whose lives are turned upside down when photographs of them are displayed in a museum and they become overnight celebrities.

This will be the second time Moretz and Pfeiffer play mother and daughter after doing so – with a supernatural twist – in Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows.” Moretz broke out big time in 2010 when she starred in shocking and controversial titles “Kick Ass” and “Let Me In”, and was most recently seen in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar nominated “Hugo.” She recently wrapped up reprising her role as Hit-Girl in “Kick Ass 2″, as well as the titular role in Kimberly Pierce’s remake of horror classic “Carrie.”

“Let Me In” co-stars Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz may reunite for “The Wilderness of James”

August 23, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

They’ve grown up quite a bit since 2010′s vampire drama “Let Me In”, and now Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee may be ready for an onscreen reunion. Deadline reports the two young stars are negotiating to co-star in indie coming of age drama “The Wilderness of James”, which was written and will mark the directorial debut of Michael Johnson.

Plot details are vague, but Smit-McPhee will play a boy in Portland trying to deal with the absence of his father. Moretz’s deal will hinge upon working out her fall schedule, but she is in talks for the role of Val. Filming is set to begin next month.

Moretz’s star has risen considerably since 2010, which saw her break out in “Let Me In” and “Kick Ass.” She starred in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar nominated “Hugo” and Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” redo opposite Johnny Depp, and is currently playing the title character in Kimberly Pierce’s “Carrie” remake (see the first photo here). Smit-McPhee voices the titular character in new stop-motion release “ParaNorman” and recently wrapped up playing Benvolio in Carlo Carlei’s new adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet”, with Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth in the lead roles.

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