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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Michael Angarano Joins Jason Statham in “Heat” Remake

March 20, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

michael-angarano Michael Angarano has joined the cast of “Heat”, a remake of the 1986 Burt Reynolds film that will star Jason Statham, according to Deadline.

The official synopsis of the film, not to be confused with the 1995 Michael Mann film of the same name, reads as follows: “This tightly-wound, fun action-thriller, tells the story of a tough recovering gambling addict (Statham) who makes his living providing protection in the rough edges of the gambling world. Statham’s character refuses to resort to gunplay, strictly using hand and edged weapon combat. When a dear friend (Sofia Vergara) is brutally beaten by a high-rolling mobster, he helps her get her revenge and he ends up in more trouble than he ever imagined.” Simon West is directing, and Angarano will play Cyrus Kinnick, who hires Statham’s character as a bodyguard. William Goldman adapted both the 1986 film and the new remake from his own novel.

Angarano can currently be seen in dark comedy “The Brass Teapot” opposite Juno Temple and will soon head to Tribeca to premiere “The English Teacher”, in which he stars opposite Julianne Moore and Lily Collins. He also has heist thriller “Empire State” with Liam Hemsworth awaiting release.

Watch: Liam Hemsworth takes lessons from Sylvester Stallone in new trailer for “The Expendables 2″

May 3, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos Leave a comment

On a screen filled with the likes of Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme and every other action star you can think of, you’ll forgive Liam Hemsworth for doing little more than sit and look around wondrously at the ass-kicking taking place around him. In the full length trailer for “The Expendables 2″, Hemsworth is quite literally the new kid on the block, taking orders from Sylvester Stallone and asking “how do you do that?”

Hemsworth plays sniper Bill “The Kid” Timmons in the Simon West directed actioner, a follow-up to the 2010 film which grossed $275 million worldwide and starred Stallone as Barney Ross, the leader of a group of highly skilled mercenaries sent on a mysterious mission to take out a corrupt military leader on a remote Latin American island.

“The Expendables 2″ will be released on August 17, 2012 and the new trailer can be viewed below.

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“The Hunger Games” star Liam Hemsworth ready for more action in “The Expendables 2″

September 19, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

In the first installment of “The Hunger Games” trilogy, Liam Hemsworth’s character Gale doesn’t get to do much fighting, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the actor in his new project, as Variety reports the strapping young Aussie has been cast in testosterone-fueled actioner “The Expendables 2.” If Hemsworth wants some pointers for when he does get his fight on in “Hunger Games” sequels “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay”, he’ll have literally the biggest action stars on the planet at his tutelage: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Randy Couture all reprise their roles from the original and will be joined by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris. Add Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger to that list as well, as they will expand upon their cameo roles in the sequel too. No pressure, Liam!

“The Expendables”, which grossed $275 million worldwide in 2010, starred Stallone as Barney Ross, the leader of a group of highly skilled mercenaries sent on a mysterious mission to take out a corrupt military leader on a remote Latin American island. Simon West is directing the sequel, and Hemsworth will play a young sniper. His age difference with his co-stars is significant, and while other young stars like Taylor Lautner had been rumored for a role in the sequel, there’s no word if Hemsworth will be joined by more of his peers, or if he has taken the role Lautner was after. Production is slated to begin next month.

Hemsworth has wrapped up his role in “The Hunger Games” and has even managed to shoot another movie since, the indie Vietnam War drama “AWOL” opposite Teresa Palmer and newcomer Austin Stowell. Younger brother to Chris “Thor” Hemsworth, he is thus far most known for playing Miley Cyrus’ love interest in Nicholas Sparks adaptation “The Last Song.” He remains attached to starring as Ali Baba in Chuck Russell’s long-gestating fantasy epic “Arabian Nights.”

Amber Heard is producer’s favorite for “Red Sonja”

February 10, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Dear Amber Heard, if you’re reading this, we have some news: your “Drive Angry” producer Avi Lerner would like you to star in his remake of “Red Sonja”. Lerner tells Empire Magazine (via Slashfilm) that production is moving along on a new version of the classic comic character, with Simon West recently hired to direct the film. Furthermore, Lerner already has an actress in mind for the title role, though she doesn’t even know about it yet, telling the magazine, “We’re talking to a few girls for the role of Sonja, but we just finished a movie called Drive Angry with Amber Heard, and I want to see her. She’s my favorite for the role. Amber is the new Red Sonja… but she doesn’t know it yet! When you write it she’ll get the shock of her life! She’ll call me and say ‘How dare you talk to Empire before you talk to me?!”

Red Sonja first appeared in an issue of Marvel’s “Conan the Barbarian” and was bestowed with great swordsmanship and ability with other weapons by a goddess after the brutal murder of her entire family. She was last seen on screen in 1985, with Brigitte Nielsen in the title role. In 2009, Robert Rodriguez planned a feature film starring Rose McGowan, even going so far as to release teaser posters and host a Comic Con panel, but by 2010 the project appeared to be dead with Rodriguez officially departing in October. Thought McGowan still seemed interested in getting it going as of July, Lerner’s project is something new altogether and is unrelated to the former. In fact, Lerner also tells Empire that his “Red Sonja” will film between the already complete “Conan” and “Conan 2″, which suggests the film will fit into a larger planned continuity.

But not so fast, Mr. Lerner. Heard very recently signed on for a leading role on NBC’s “Playboy” pilot, which could prove to be a major scheduling conflict if the show is picked up. The Lerner/Heard collaboration, “Drive Angry”, comes out on February 25. Heard also has “The Rum Diary” opposite Johnny Depp awaiting release.