Ansel Elgort Is Augustus Waters in "The Fault in Our Stars" Opposite Shailene Woodley

From siblings to star-crossed lovers! EW reports rising star Ansel Elgort has been offered the male lead in "The Fault in Our Stars" opposite Shailene Woodley - who plays his sister in the currently-filming dystopian adaptation "Divergent." The two Read more

Dylan O'Brien Lands "The Maze Runner" Lead; Ki Hong Lee Also Joins

UPDATE: Director Wes Ball tweets that Ki Hong Lee has also joined the cast as Minho, a fellow Glader and ally to Thomas throughout the series. Lee is probably best known as a regular on short-lived ABC Family Read more

Shailene Woodley Confirmed for "The Fault in Our Stars"

I mean, duh, we called it. It has now been officially confirmed with glowing quotes from director, producer and author in tow that the increasingly in demand Shailene Woodley will play the lead role of Hazel Grace Lancaster Read more

Up and Comers Presents: 20 Faces to Watch in 2013

After a somewhat unpredictable year in which the stars we expected to break out largely didn't but fresh faces came out of nowhere to surprise us all, we are ready to look ahead to the new talent waiting to Read more

Up and Comers Presents: The Breakout Stars of 2012

Another year, another new crop of fresh talent. Just like last year, the hardest part is narrowing down which of the dozens of the year's rising stars shone the brightest. This year we heralded the arrival of the unlikeliest Read more
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die hard 5

Aussie rising star Jai Courtney lands coveted “Die Hard 5″ role; first look at screen test

February 22, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting, Images Leave a comment

Looks like Jai Courtney is a name we should all be watching out for. After a roller coaster casting process that has seen the likes of Liam Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, James Badge Dale, Milo Ventigmilia, Paul Dano and more young actors vying for the coveted role of John McClane, Jr. opposite Bruce Willis in “A Good Day to Die Hard”, it is the relative unknown Australian who didn’t show up on any previous shortlists that will now join the franchise. Judging from the first image from his screen test with Willis, he’s pretty convincing.

Deadline reports the process likely came down to a final two between Courtney and Hemsworth with Courtney ultimately winning out and preparing to head to Moscow to star as Willis’ estranged son, Jack. McClane and Jack don’t get along but must work together in order to keep each other alive and the world at peace. Previous reports indicated if the film is successful, whoever was cast as Jack could be groomed to take over the franchise from an aging Willis. For now, John Moore will direct the father-son actioner for a February 14, 2013 release.

Having just landed his American feature film debut, legal thriller “One Shot” opposite Tom Cruise, in September, Courtney’s star is exponentially rising just a few months later. He’s perhaps thus far best known for Starz series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”, but that’s all about to change with “One Shot”, “Die Hard” and a starring role opposite Aaron Eckhart in “I, Frankenstein” on the horizon.

See Courtney and Willis in a promotional shot from their screen test together below.

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Up and Comers Podcast #3: “J. Edgar” and “Take Shelter”; Which actors will be landing the next big projects?

November 8, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge and Rebecca Lewis in Podcast 2 Comments

Thank you for joining us again if you listened to our first two podcasts or if you are new to the program, welcome! Once a week, Linda and Rebecca will take to the internet airwaves to discuss a variety of subjects, including all the latest news, movies we’ve seen recently, the Oscar season and more topics that interest us (or you! Please send us your suggestions for topics to talk about).

• 00:00 – 16:00 – We discuss some of the big news that broke over the past week or so, including Eddie Redmayne joining Les Mis; Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara in Malick’s “Lawless”; THR’s Next Gen List and more.

• 16:00 – 24:00 – Linda discusses and reviews “J. Edgar” and “Take Shelter”, including some gushing over Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, and assessing each of the movie’s awards chances. No spoilers.

• 24:00 – END – We go in depth into discussions about some of the big projects that many young actors will be reading for, including “Winter’s Tale”; “Akira”; “Arthur and Lancelot”; and “Die Hard 5″.

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Aaron Paul joined by Liam Hemsworth, James Badge Dale and DJ Cotrona on “Die Hard 5″ shortlist

November 4, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 5 Comments

Sorry Ben Foster, Paul Dano and Milo Ventigmilia. It looks like out of that original shortlist, only Aaron Paul has made it to the next level of testing for the role of son-to-Bruce Willis John McClane, Jr. in “A Good Day to Die Hard, to be directed by John Moore in Russia early next year. But he still doesn’t have the part yet, as Deadline reports three more contestants have entered the ring: Liam Hemsworth (who is all over these high profile shortlists lately), James Badge Dale and DJ Cotrona.

Paul won an Emmy in 2010 for his role on AMC’s critically acclaimed “Breaking Bad” and has recently started to sign on to film projects, the most recent being dark comedy “Smashed” opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Deadline points out his “Breaking Bad’ schedule could present a problem here, which would be a shame. Hemsworth made his American feature film debut in Nicholas Sparks adaptation “The Last Song” but has not been seen on the screen since, although after landing the role of Gale in next March’s “The Hunger Games”, that will all change. Badge Dale can currently be seen in Michael Fassbender-starrer “Shame” and is filming “World War Z” opposite Brad Pitt. Cotrona had been primarily a TV actor but got his big film break recently when he was cast as Flint in the currently-filming “G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation.” Advantage Cotrona? Willis plays Joe in that film.

20th Century Fox is said to be eyeing the youngster to take over the “Die Hard” franchise if this 4th sequel proves lucrative, so this would be a big get for whoever lands it, similar to Jeremy Renner’s role opposite Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.” Let’s just all be thankful Renner is too old to play Willis’ son… isn’t he?