Tom Hardy and Michael Shannon to star as brothers in adaptation of “The Long Red Road”

August 20, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Casting 2 Comments

Two of our favourite actors Tom Hardy and Michael Shannon are finally teaming up together, toplining “The Long Red Road“.

Based on Brett C. Leonard’s play – which Hardy has already starred in – Variety confirmed that Hardy will reprise his role as Sam, a young man who “attempts to drink away his demons on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. When a visitor from his past arrives, Sam has to take a hard look at the man he’s become and the life he left behind.”

Shannon will play Hardy’s older brother. Philip Seymour Hoffman directed the play which premiered in 2010 in Chicago, but there is no word yet on whether the actor will also jump back on board to direct the big screen adaptation.

Hardy can soon be seen in John Hillcoat‘s vivid, violent “Lawless”, one of our favourites from Cannes this year, and is currently filming “Mad Max: Fury Road” with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Shannon has been focusing on TV work recently but can next be seen alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt in “Premium Rush” before the release of next year’s anticipated box office hit, “Superman: Man of Steel“.

Joseph Gordon Levitt to make feature directorial debut and star opposite Scarlett Johansson in new comedy

February 7, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 10 Comments

The ever busy Joseph Gordon Levitt is set to make his feature film directorial debut, according to Deadline. In addition to directing, Gordon Levitt also wrote the screenplay and will star in the film opposite Scarlett Johansson. The premise is being described as a “sexy comedy” in the vein of a modern Don Juan who tries to change his playboy ways. A second female lead is still yet to be cast.

Gordon Levitt tells Deadline that his experience as a child actor and the killer year he’s had working under the direction of some of the best directors working today have all led to this. “I was a child actor for years and quit at 19, went to school awhile, and a big part of why I came back was that I ultimately wanted to make movies. I spent a year working with Chris Nolan, Rian Johnson, Steven Spielberg, and I did my best to pay attention. I’ve also been making short films for a long time now, I’ve directed a ton of them, and that is a huge part of why I feel comfortable and confident in this.”

Even before the ambitious writing/directing/acting job, Gordon Levitt had been on the path to a pretty amazing 2012 after playing a cancer patient to massive critical success in “50/50″ last year. He’ll be reunited with plenty of “Inception” cast members for Christopher Nolan’s final Batman installment “The Dark Knight Rises”, then bike messenger thriller “Premium Rush” and time travel actioner “Looper”. He’s also playing son to Daniel Day Lewis for Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” in the last quarter of 2012. One role that is now in question due to scheduling conflicts with his directing gig is Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained”, in which he was due to play a small supporting role. “It will be tricky schedule-wise, but I was honest with Quentin upfront. He was so cool and encouraging. He said, ‘You strike me as the kind of guy who would want to direct,’ and I took that as high praise.”

Broadway star Aaron Tveit will bring theatre cred as Enjolras in “Les Miserables” opposite Eddie Redmayne

December 8, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

More “Les Miserables” news coming right up! The Daily Mail confirms earlier reports that Sacha Baron Cohen is in final negotiations to star as innkeep Thenardier for Tom Hooper’s big screen adaptation of the hit musical, and further breaks the news that Broadway vet Aaron Tveit has also just been cast as revolution leader Enjolras.

Tveit is adding some real Broadway theatre cred to the production that thus far consists of mostly movie stars that have had little to no stage experience (barring Hugh Jackman, of course). Tveit’s Enjolras is the charismatic and noble leader of a 19th century revolution in Paris (not to be confused with The French Revolution) and is also best friend to Eddie Redmayne’s lovelorn Marius. Famous songs Tveit will be belting out as Enjolras include “Red and Black” and most notably, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” Russell Crowe is also on board the cast as Jackman’s Jean Valjean’s arch nemesis Inspector Javert, along with Anne Hathaway as tragic young mother Fantine. Helena Bonham Carter is still in talks to play Cohen’s wife, the equally greedy and hilarious Madame Thenardier, but her deal has not closed as of yet. The pivotal role of Eponine apparently still remains up for grabs, though with each new official announcement that foursome appears more and more bizarre.

The 28-year-old Tveit is still relatively unknown to film goers and TV watchers, but is already an accomplished and much loved presence on the Broadway scene, having originated the roles of Gabe in “Next to Normal” and Frank Abagnale Jr. in “Catch Me If You Can”, and appearing as Fiyero in “Wicked”, Roger in “Rent” and many more productions. As for his onscreen resume, he is perhaps currently most known for his recurring role as Tripp Van Der Bilt on The CW’s “Gossip Girl.” Hey, it worked for Armie Hammer! Tveit will also be seen opposite Joseph Gordon Levitt in next summer’s bike messenger thriller “Premium Rush.”

Joseph Gordon-Levitt may join Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained”

October 21, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s career trajectory is almost as exciting as his movies. Taking unexpected projects left and right, he is about to add another surprising role to his increasingly impressive and diverse portfolio, as Variety reports the actor is keen on taking a role in Quentin Tarantino’s next feature, “Django Unchained”, a spaghetti western set during slavery times.

The trade reports Gordon-Levitt intends to do the film but will have to work out scheduling before it’s official. However, one big roadblock has already been cleared as his bike messenger thriller “Premium Rush” has been pushed back from January 13, 2012 to August 24, 2012. “Django” begins filming in January and there was a question whether Gordon-Levitt’s press commitments to “Premium Rush” would be an issue. If he joins Tarantino’s film, he’ll be in amazing company with “Inception” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell and Don Johnson. Foxx plays a slave turned bounty hunter who sets out to rescue his wife from Dicaprio’s villainous plantation owner.

Gordon-Levitt can currently be seen in Jonathan Levine’s critically acclaimed cancer dramedy “50/50″, which is garnering some awards buzz for the actor, and is shooting “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Inception” director Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film. He also plays the son of Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” in the currently filming biopic starring Daniel Day Lewis as the most iconic President in history.

Watch: first trailer for Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s bike thriller “Premium Rush”

September 16, 2011 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Videos Leave a comment

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s star has been quickly rising this past year, going from indie darling (Mysterious Skin) to mainstream blockbuster star (Inception)

With upcoming releases in the form of comedy/drama from Jonathan Levine 50/50 and the sci-fi action Looper also starring Bruce Willis, as well as the currently filming finale to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy The Dark Knight Rises, a small thriller in the name of Premium Rush has been overlooked a little.

Written, and directed, by David Koepp (Panic Room, Spider-Man), and also starring Michael Shannon, Premium Rush follows Gordon-Levitt’s Wilee, a 20-something bike messenger who is a fan of fixed gears and no brakes, as he is chased across Manhattan by dirty cop Shannon after collecting a package from a suspicious Jamie Chung at Columbia University.

Also starring Dania Ramirez as the ex-girlfriend and fellow bike messenger, this is an interesting new take on the high-speed chase across NYC that we’ve seen before.

Jamie Chung joins “Hangover Part II”

November 1, 2010 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Jamie Chung has joined the ensemble cast of “The Hangover Part II”. She will play the fiance of Stu, the character played by Ed Helms. The entire cast from the first film will be returning, minus Heather Graham, so it might be logical to conclude Chung will fill a similar role in the sequel.

The 27-year-old Chung has come a long way since breaking into the industry as a cast member on the MTV reality series “The Real World” in 2004. She followed up the MTV stint with supporting roles on TV and in movies and will next be seen in Zack Snyder’s highly anticipated “Sucker Punch”, starring fellow rising stars Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens and Abbie Cornish. She also has a role in “Premium Rush” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

“The Hangover Part II” is currently filming and will be released on May 26, 2011.

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