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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dj cotrona

Ezra Miller out, Alden Ehrenreich and more still testing for Tetsuo in “Akira” opposite Garrett Hedlund

November 21, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

“We Need to Take About Kevin” star Ezra Miller has taken himself out of the running to play Tetsuo in “Akira”, as he told Moviefone. But Warner Bros’ risky, big budget remake isn’t hurting for talent. Alden Ehrenreich, last reported to be testing a couple of weeks ago, is still in the running, and he’s got even more stiff competition. THR reports that over Sunday and Monday, Ehrenreich, DJ Cotrona, Paul Dano, Toby Kebbell, Richard Madden, Logan Marshall-Green, Rami Malek and Michael Pitt will all be reading for the role of the telekinetic younger brother to Kaneda, played by Garrett Hedlund.

Hedlund is in negotiations for the lead, with Kristen Stewart in talks for the female lead Kei, and now the third crucial role of a troubled young man who develops powers and becomes a dangerous weapon is up for grabs. The interesting thing here, of course, is that these names are all familiar to us, with nearly all these young men showing up on one shortlist or another in recent days. Kebbell and Madden were up for “Arthur and Lancelot”, before losing out to Kit Harington; Dano was up for “The Bourne Legacy” and still may be in “A Good Day to Die Hard”, where he’s up against Cotrona. Marshall-Green, who already has his big break in Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” lined up for next year, was shortlisted for Roland Emmerich’s “Singularity” but that has been put on indefinite hold for now. Malek and Pitt, showing up on a shortlist for the first time, are most known for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” and HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”, respectively.

So which up and comer will end up on top this time around? If you ask us, not that many of these young men could easily resemble a younger brother to Garrett Hedlund, though certainly there are more crucial factors to consider. THR further details Warner Bros would like to lock down their choice by Thanksgiving, and all the men are still rising stars and very much interested in the high profile role – unlike Miller – so we should have our Tetsuo very soon. And then, presumably, onto the next shortlist for the ones who lose out here.

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?

“Social Network” star Joe Mazzello joins Channing Tatum and Adrianne Palicki in “G.I. Joe 2″

July 26, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Joe Mazzello is reporting for duty. The actor has won the coveted role of Mouse in “G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes”, according to Deadline, a part that “a lot of young guys wanted.” He will join returning “G.I. Joe” stars Channing Tatum and Ray Park and fellow newbies Adrianne Palicki, DJ Cotrona and Dwayne Johnson in the sequel to the 2009 summer actioner based on the classic Hasbro army toys. Earlier reports indicated Paramount was courting the likes of Bruce Willis for the title role of G.I. Joe.

“Cobra Strikes” is being fast-tracked to fill a blockbuster void that existed in Paramount’s 2012 summer schedule. A report earlier this month from What’s Playing shed some light on the character of Mouse, who originated from the Sgt. Savage and Screaming Eagles series of toys. Said to be an 18-year-old Southern charmer with a pivotal role in the film, one casting agent was quoted as saying “the role would be Taylor Kitsch’s had he been just a spot younger” and the character is being used as a way to entice young teenage girls to the flick. You go, Dustin Moskovitz!

Mazzello was known to most audiences as “the kid from Jurassic Park” but has grown up to have a pretty successful career, as part of the ensemble cast of HBO’s Emmy-award winning wartime mini-series “The Pacific” and most notably as the aforementioned Dustin Moskovitz, nerdy roommate to Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg and computer programmer for Facebook in David Fincher’s modern masterpiece “The Social Network.”

Adrianne Palicki is female lead Lady Jaye in “G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes”

July 4, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

“Friday Night Lights” star Adrianne Palicki has scored the female lead in one of those sequels no one really wants, “G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes”, reports Deadline. Dwayne Johnson and D.J. Cotrona also recently signed on and the three newbies will join returning cast members Channing Tatum and Ray Park as Duke and Snake Eyes, respectively. Other cast members from 2009′s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marlon Wayans and Rachel Nichols, are not expected to reprise their roles. As for G.I. Joe himself, the studio is said to be eyeing Bruce Willis, among others.

Palicki’s Alison R. Hart-Burnett – codename Lady Jaye – was originally created for the 1984 “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” animated series and is the team’s covert operations specialist. She shares a romantic relationship with Dashiell R. Faireborn – aka Flint – who is the Warrant Officer for the G.I. Joe Team and will be portrayed by Cotrona in “Cobra Strikes”. Paramount greenlit and fast-tracked the sequel despite lukewarm critical and box office response to “Rise of Cobra” because a blockbuster void existed for the studio for Summer 2011, with JJ Abrams’ “Star Trek” sequel deemed not ready in time. “Cobra Strikes” and Brad Pitt zombie apocalypse thriller “World War Z” will be the studio’s current offerings.

After a critically acclaimed run as troubled high schooler Tyra on NBC series “Friday Night Lights”, Palicki had trouble finding a breakout role. “Legion” underperformed, ambitious Fox series “Lone Star” was canceled after just two episodes and despite heavy buzz, her title role in the new “Wonder Woman” was never picked up by NBC, suspected to be due in large part to negative reactions to the updated costume and the remake of “Red Dawn” may never see a release at this rate. Will “Cobra Strikes” be the big breakout franchise moment for Palicki? We have our doubts, but are hopeful.