British Actor Tom Hughes and “Shameless” Star Emma Greenwell Go “Wild” In Uplifting Dramedy

May 17, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

wild “Shameless” star Emma Greenwell and British actor Tom Hughes are set to star in indie dramedy “Wild”, according to The Wrap. Vivienne DeCourcy wrote and will make her feature directorial debut on the project, which is described as being in the vein of underdog tales like “Billy Elliot.”

Greenwell plays a young visionary garden designer whose dream it is to compete in and win the Chelsea Flower show, considered to be “the Olympics of gardening.” Hughes will play a young environmentalist who is enlisted to help her. Filming on location in Ireland and Ethiopia will take place over the next few months.

Greenwell plays the slightly unhinged Mandy on Showtime family drama “Shameless”, the young cast of which has been landing roles left and right in recent days. Her onscreen love interest Jeremy Allen White landed the lead in found footage thriller “Glimmer” while Cameron Monaghan, who plays younger Gallagher brother Ian, is enrolling at “Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters.” Hughes starred in British comedy “Cemetary Junction” opposite Ricky Gervais and was part of BAFTA’s inaugaral class of Brits to Watch in 2011. He most recently wrapped “I Am Soldier” with Noel Clarke.

“Shameless” Star Jeremy Allen White Lands Found Footage Thriller “Glimmer”

May 13, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

jeremy-allen-white Hot found-footage thriller project “Glimmer” has found its first star in “Shameless” star Jeremy Allen White, according to The Wrap. Ringan Ledwidge is directing the Carter Blanchard script which landed in the Top 10 of the 2012 Black List.

The time-travel thriller centers around a group of teens who take a camping trip to investigate a series of missing persons, only to find a portal that can take them back in time instead. They travel to and are ultimately trapped in the 1970s, where one of them changes something, with – naturally – catastrophic results. Found-footage has been done, but this one has potential to be a breakout hit in the vein of “Chronicle”, which of course gave us such talents as Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan.

White has played rebellious sibling Lip Gallagher on Showtime’s family drama “Shameless” since the series began in 2011, and it’s now heading into its fourth season. He’s the latest among the Gallagher kids to land big movie roles, with Cameron Monaghan landing a role in “Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters” just last week.

Cameron Monaghan Enrolls at “Vampire Academy” as Mason Ashford; Ashley Charles, Sami Gayle Also In

May 10, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 6 Comments

cameron-monaghan UPDATE: Deadline now reports Sami Gayle, Claire Foy an Ashley Charles have also joined the cast, with Gayle in the role of antagonist Mia, Charles as Jesse and Foy as Karp.

“Shameless” star Cameron Monaghan is the latest young actor to get in on the YA franchise game, with the official Twitter for the film announcing that he has been cast as Mason Ashford in “Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters.” He joins previously cast stars Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky and Olga Kurylenko in the supernatural romance that begins filming on May 27th.

Mark Waters is directing the film adapted from the Richelle Mead series by his brother. Deutch’s Rose is a dhampir, or half-vampire trained to protect Moroi, a race of peaceful, benevolent and mortal vampires from the Strigoi – evil, undead vampires pop culture is probably more familiar with. She plays bodyguard to her best friend Lissa, who is a Moroi princess. They have fled St. Vladimir’s Academy (the titular Vampire Academy where vampires and half-vampires train and learn to find their place in the world) but are forced to return, and that is when they encounter dhampir Dimitri (Kovlovsky), who becomes Rose’s instructor and, naturally, her love interest. Kurlyenko plays the school’s headmistress and Monaghan’s Mason is Rose’s best friend and fellow dhampir, who naturally also carries a torch for her. There is franchise potential here, as Mead has written six books following Rose, and there is also a spinoff series for a character introduced later in the series.

“Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters” will be released on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2014, where it will go head to head against another young adult novel adaptation, Wes Ball’s “The Maze Runner”, based on the books by James Dashner.

Most known as Ian Gallagher on Showtime’s hit family drama “Shameless”, Monaghan also appeared in Disney’s ensemble comedy “Prom” and recently wrapped up filming on indie adaptation “Jamie Marks is Dead.”

Emmy Rossum joins paranormal teen romance “Beautiful Creatures” as bad girl Ridley

March 2, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Once a rising star on film who fizzled and found a second life on cable as the star of Showtime’s “Shameless”, Emmy Rossum seems poised to make a comeback on the big screen. Variety reports she has landed a pivotal role in Warner Bros’ answer to “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games”, supernatural teen romance “Beautiful Creatures”, based on the best-selling series of books by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Newcomers Jack O’Connell and Alice Englert will headline as the star crossed lovers and be supported by a strong ensemble cast that already includes Viola Davis and Emma Thompson.

In the Richard LaGravenese adapted and directed film, O’Connell plays Ethan Wate, a popular high school student plagued by dreams of a mysterious girl – who then magically shows up in his town. That girl, of course, is Lena Duchaness, to be played by Englert, an outsider who’s also harboring a dangerous and, ahem, bewitching secret. The human-supernatural creature romance here is played out here throughout a series of four books, setting O’Connell and Englert up for potential franchise stardom in the vein of “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games.” Rossum will play Ridley, Lena’s cousin described as “the ultimate bad girl, with a supernatural twist. She’s all blonde and pink streaked hair, lollipops and chaos. You love to hate her and hate to love her.” Ridley becomes Lena’s sworn enemy after becoming a dark witch on her 16th birthday.

Rossum was on the verge of stardom after being chosen to play Christine in the big screen adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera” in 2004, but the film was met with lukewarm response and her film career slowed and then halted after 2009′s “Dare” and “Dragonball: Evolution.” However, she has since been receiving rave reviews for her performance as Fiona on Showtime’s salacious family drama “Shameless” and seems to be leveraging it in a smart fashion. “Beautiful Creatures”‘s franchise potential is huge and luckily, her character sticks around for the sequels.

Jane Levy replaces Lily Collins in “Evil Dead” remake

February 3, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

“Suburgatory” star Jane Levy has landed the female lead in Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” remake after Lily Collins dropped out, Deadline revealed today. She will join Shiloh Fernandez in the retelling of the 1986 horror classic that Raimi hismelf wrote. The male and female leads are now set and casting continues on the three remaining characters.

The new take on Raimi’s original “Evil Dead” sees five friends – David, Natalie, Eric, Olivia, and Mia – vacationing in a remote cabin in the woods only to discover a Book of the Dead, which unleashes an evil demonic force that possesses each of them until only one is left to survive. David and Natalie are engaged, while Levy’s Mia is an ex-drug addict hoping to detox in the cabin. Olivia is her best friend while Eric is the one who unleashes the demons upon the group. Diablo Cody rewrote the script for director Fede Alvarez.

Levy is a total newbie to acting, having only made her small screen debut last year in Showtime series “Shameless.” But it took her no time at all to land the role of Victoria Justice’s BFF in Josh Schwartz’s big screend debut, “Fun Size”, and her own hit TV series, “Suburgatory” on ABC. She was also recently seen in Sundance premiere “Nobody Walks” with Olivia Thirlby and John Krasinski.

Jane Levy to be Victoria Justice’s BFF in “Fun Size”

April 29, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Rising actress Jane Levy is in talks for a pivotal role in Paramount’s teen Halloween themed comedy “Fun Size”, according to THR. Josh Schwartz, creator of such seminal teen television series such as “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl”, will be making his feature directorial debut on the project, which stars Victoria Justice as Wren, a sarcastic teen who takes her little brother trick-or-treating and loses him along the way.

Most recently, Thomas Mann signed on to play Justice’s love interest, a debate team member who has always had a secret crush on Wren and despite being a play-by-the-rules kind of guy, throws caution to the wind and helps her find her missing brother before her parents discover any mishap has taken place. Levy will be playing Wren’s best friend in a strong supporting role.

Levy recently landed the lead on ABC comedy pilot “Suburgatory” and was recently seen on Showtime’s new hit series “Shameless” starring William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum. THR also reports Levy will be making her feature debut alongside John Krasinski and Olivia Thirlby in “Nobody Walks”, which begins filming soon.

“Fun Size” will begin filming in May and will predictably aim for a Halloween release in October.

Chris Lowell and Emmy Rossum join “Light Years”

March 28, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Emmy Rossum has found success on television – in Showtime’s recently renewed “Shameless” – after an attempt at a big screen career seemed to fizzle out, but she is now making a foray back into films, joining “Light Years”, already starring Peter Gallagher. Fellow TV alum and “Private Practice” star Chris Lowell has also signed on to the indie drama.

“Light Years”, based on the 2009 short film “Some Boys Don’t Leave” starring Jesse Eisenberg, is a coming of age tale surrounding a young couple who break up but one can’t seem to let go. He decides to remain living in their shared apartment and she decides to move on with her life right in front of him. Maggie Kiley, who also created the short, will direct the feature she co-wrote Matthew Mullen.

Lowell, last briefly seen as George Clooney’s assistant in “Up in the Air”, will romance Emma Stone in her first dramatic turn in this August’s “The Help”. Rossum, once poised for stardom after being chosen to play Christine in the big screen adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera” musical, has not been seen on the big screen since 2009′s indie “Dare” and “Dragonball: Evolution”.

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