Dakota Johnson joins Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots in “Need for Speed” video game adaptation

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

Promising rising actress Dakota Johnson is free to return to movies now that her Fox comedy series “Ben and Kate” is in limbo. Her first post-sitcom project is a big one: Deadline reports Johnson is set to join the cast of video game adaptation “Need for Speed”, which already has Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots and Dominic Cooper in starring roles, and a supporting cast rounded out by Michael Keaton, Rami Malek, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi and Ramon Rodriguez.

Scott Waugh is directing the film which is set in the 1970s, and Paul plays Tobey, an underground race car driver who is framed and imprisoned when his best friend is murdered. Upon his release, he races across the country at top speed to seek revenge. Cooper plays an ex-NASCAR driver who runs a business building supercars, while Poots will play an exotic car dealer. No word yet on what car-related jobs Johnson and the rest of the supporting cast will hold. Filming will begin soon as the movie already has a February 7, 2014 release scheduled.

Johnson, one of our Faces to Watch in 2012, disappeared from the big screen after landing the lead in Fox comedy series “Ben and Kate.” She impressed us in supporting but memorable turns in “The Social Network”, “21 Jump Street” and “Five Year Engagement” so we are glad to see her back to doing films, where her keen comedic chops should gain more notice.

Chris Pratt to join Vince Vaughn in remake of French comedy “Starbuck”

August 2, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Fast rising star Chris Pratt has signed on to star opposite Vince Vaughn in an untitled English remake of French-Canadian comedy “Starbuck”, according to Variety. Ken Scott, who also directed the original film, has written the script and will direct the remake as well.

Vaughn will play a middle-aged man, played by Patrick Huard in the original, who learns that, as a sperm donor, he has fathered 533 children. As he dodges thugs to whom he owes money and over 100 of his biological children begin clamoring for the identity of “Starbuck”, the pseudonym he used when donating sperm, all while his girlfriend becomes pregnant and decides he’s not mature enough to be a father, he must decide whether or not to step up and reveal his identity. Pratt will play his lawyer who has a large brood of his own. Filming is set for later this year.

Pratt, a favorite of TV audiences for his lovable oaf characters Bright on “Everwood” and currently Andy on “Parks and Recreation”, has begun gaining notice on the big screen after playing troubled catcher Scott Hatteberg in Bennett Miller’s Oscar-nominated “Moneyball” last year. He appeared as a scene-stealing groomsman in “Five Year Engagement” and has wrapped up shooting on Kathryn Bigelow’s Bin Laden thriller “Zero Dark Thirty.” He’s also set for the live action lead in “Lego: The Piece of Resistance”, which will also feature animation and an all-star voice cast.

Zac Efron-Seth Rogen comedy “Townies” is a go with director Nick Stoller

May 21, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 4 Comments

Zac Efron is just about ready to shed that “High School Musical” image for good. With his most high profile role to date in Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy” set to premiere this week in Cannes, another project designed to showcase his range just hit the fast track. He had been cast last summer in an untitled comedy opposite Seth Rogen, but it’s taken forever to see any further movement on that front. Well, the wait is apparently (nearly) over as THR reports Universal is now in negotiations with “Five Year Engagement” helmer Nick Stoller to direct the new comedy, which now as a title as well: “Townies.”

Andrew Cohen and Brendan O’Brien wrote the screenplay which sparked a bidding war last summer, about a family man (Rogen) who lives near a fraternity house and finds himself at odds with one of the frat brothers (Efron), whose constant partying and raucous behavior is wreaking havoc on his neighbor’s life. It seems to be a comedy firmly rooted in the Judd Apatow family and a distinctly different sort of film for Efron to tackle. Rogen, meanwhile, who’s been venturing outside the genre, will be readily at home here.

Rogen was last seen on screen in the genuinely moving and funny cancer dramedy “50/50″, and is currently filming “The End of the World”, in which he stars as himself and which also marks his feature directorial debut. Efron was last seen in Nicholas Sparks adaptation “The Lucky One” but is hoping “The Paperboy” will get him a lot more industry cred as it prepares to be shown to the world on Thursday. He also has Ramin Bahrani’s family drama “At Any Price” opposite Dennis Quad wrapped and awaiting release.

Emily Blunt lands “All You Need is Kill” opposite Tom Cruise, remains top contender for “The Thin Man”

April 16, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Looks like British actress Emily Blunt is having a bit of a moment. Variety reports Warner Bros is in negotiations with the “Five Year Engagement” star to play the female lead in “All You Need is Kill”, Doug Liman’s sci-fi thriller starring Tom Cruise. Additionally, the actress remains one of the studio’s favorites for the female lead in Rob Marshall-Johnny Depp comedy “The Thin Man.”

In “All You Need is Kill”, Cruise plays a soldier in a futuristic war against an alien race who finds himself reliving the day he dies over and over again, and becomes more adept at surviving as he learns more throughout each repeated day. Blunt plays another soldier, presumably the one he notices for the first time on his 158th repeated day, and who he discovers could lead to his final salvation or downfall.

In “The Thin Man”, Blunt is reportedly a “top contender”, along with Emma Stone and Kristen Wiig, for the role of Nora Charles, wife to Depp’s Nick Charles, a former detective. The two are unwittingly drawn into investigating a decades old murder, trading flirtation and banter along the way.

After breaking out in “The Devil Wears Prada”, Blunt seemed poised for stardom then seemed to get bogged down in duds like “The Wolfman” and “Gulliver’s Travels.” But positive buzz on “Five Year Engagement”, set to open the Tribeca Film Festival this weekend and releasing on April 27th, is clearly putting the talented comedienne back on the radar. Sure to garner her more buzz is Rhian Johnson’s time-travel thriller “Looper”, in which she stars opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt. That film opens on September 28th.

Watch: Life gets in the way of Jason Segal and Emily Blunt’s “Five Year Engagement” in first trailer

December 7, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos 2 Comments

Jason Segal and Emily Blunt are a very happy and in love couple who, logically, decide that marriage is the next step in their relationship. However, as the title suggests, “Five Year Engagement” isn’t about to let Blunt walk down the aisle that easily. An undeniable job offer sends the couple to Snowpocalypse-ridden Michigan, then a promotion comes along and before you know it, four years have gone by with no wedding in sight. Segal and Blunt are joined by a hilarious and stellar cast that includes Chris Pratt, “Community”‘s Alison Brie and “Animal Kingdom” Oscar nominee Jackie Weaver, who provides the one truly genuine laugh out loud moment from the trailer. Though it proudly proclaims to be “From the producers of ‘Bridesmaids’”, this movie looks more like a dramedy with real emotional moments between a couple you can root for, interspersed with humor and pratfalls.

Will they ever make it to the alter? Find out when “Five Year Engagement” opens on April 27th, 2012.

Emily Blunt to star opposite Colin Firth in untitled dark comedy

May 11, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 5 Comments

Hang on tight to your identity, as Emily Blunt might be coming for you. Screen Daily reports from Cannes that the rising British actress will star opposite Oscar winner Colin Firth in an untitled dark comedy, with Focus Features International negotiating rights at the Festival this week.

Blunt and Firth play two damaged souls who meet and team up to break into people’s empty homes and live out new lives by assuming the identities of those who lived there. Along the way, inevitably, they fall in love. Production will get underway this fall, with commercial director Dante Ariola making his feature film debut from a screenplay by Becky Johnston.

Breaking out in a big way as the hilarious snarky assistant to Meryl Streep in 2006′s “The Devil Wears Prada”, Blunt has had less success in subsequent films, many of which were duds including the likes of “The Wolfman” and “Gulliver’s Travels”. She is currently filming “Five Year Engagement” opposite Jason Segal, which seems much more promising, and we hope her new films will finally allow her the chance to showcase her immense talent to their full potential. Sharing the screen with King Colin is certainly a step in the right direction.

Chris Pratt and Rhys Ifans join “Five Year Engagement”

March 3, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Jason Segal and Emily Blunt comedy “Five Year Engagement” is firming up its supporting cast fast, with “Community” star Alison Brie signing on just yesterday to play Blunt’s younger sister. Today two more join the trio, as Variety reports “Parks and Recreation” star Chris Pratt and “The Amazing Spider-Man” villain Rhys Ifans have jumped on board in unspecified roles as well.

Production is expected to be underway by the end of March for the film that charts the highs and lows of a couple’s (Segal and Blunt) long-gestating engagement. Judd Apatow, Rodney Rothman and director Nicholas Stoller are producing the project. Stoller also co-wrote with Segel, having previously collaborated on “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.”

Pratt, who first captured our attention on the canceled-way-too-early “Everwood”, has been sticking to TV with a starring role on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”, but has started to venture more into features, mostly co-starring with wife Anna Faris in her various romantic comedy capers. He recently wrapped “Ten Year” opposite Channing Tatum and will be seen opposite Faris once again in “What’s Your Number?”. Ifans is currently in the midst of playing The Lizard opposite Andrew Garfield as “The Amazing Spider-Man” and will next be seen in Roland Emmerich’s “Anonymous”, a Shakespearean-set political thriller.

Alison Brie joins Judd Apatow’s “Five-Year Engagement”

March 2, 2011 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Casting 1 Comment

Alison Brie, most famous for her roles on TV shows such as the critically lauded “Community” and “Mad Men”, has landed a role in Judd Apatow’s Five-Year Enagagement, alongside Emily Blunt and Jason Segal.

First reported by Variety, Brie will be playing the younger sister to Emily Blunt’s character in the film, which charts the ups and downs of an engaged couple. Brie will have to put on a British accent for the role but told Variety that she has “worked on accents when [she] was studying at Cal Arts and in Scotland and [enjoys] that kind of transformation.”

Five-Year Engagement will be directed by Nicholas Stoller (“Get Him to the Greek”) and produced by Apatow and Shauna Robertson and begins filming in April, with a release date in 2012. It will be Brie‘s first role with Judd Apatow, a producer famous for kick-starting the careers of several leading actors, including Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Emma Stone. But she told Variety one of her favourite films ever is Stoller and Segal’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” which was produced by Apatow and Robertson, so this is sure to be a great introduction to Hollywood for her, especially as Apatow likes to re-use actors again and again.

Will Emily Blunt enter into a “Five Year Engagement” with Jason Segal?

November 17, 2010 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Emily Blunt may be gearing up to be an onscreen “Waity Katie” as Vulture reports that producer Judd Apatow and director Nicholas Stoller are set to offer her the lead opposite Jason Segal in “Five Year Engagement”, a raunchy couples comedy about, you guessed it, the ups and downs of a couple who are engaged for five years.

Stoller and Segal previously offered the role of Jackie Q in “Get Him to the Greek” to Blunt, which, like “Engagement”, is set up at Universal, but she was unable to accept because she was legally contracted to 20th Century Fox following “The Devil Wears Prada”, and they locked her down to do “Gulliver’s Travels” opposite Jack Black instead. Now her contract is about to expire, which makes this “Engagement” one she is much more likely to accept. Ba-da-bum.

five year engagement