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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the falling

Zac Efron to star in Akiva Goldsman’s supernatural thriller “The Falling”

January 30, 2013 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Casting Leave a comment

Zac Efron is one Disney star making inroads as he attempts to move away from his “High School Musical” image. The rising star is set to headline Akiva Goldsman’s “The Falling“, a mystery supernatural project, the logline of which is reportedly being kept firmly under wraps.

THR are calling the film “an edgy thriller centering around an otherworldly being” – no word on if Efron will play the otherwordly being – but Warner Bros apparently took the idea for the film directly to Goldsman and Efron, who will produce the pic under Ninjas Runnin’ Wild Productions, the company Efron set up under Warner Bros. The title is a working title and everyone involved is now looking to find a screenwriter and move the proect on the next level.

Efron, who broke out in Disney’s “High School Musical” has been attempting to become a more credible leading man after several average box office hits including “17 Again”. He took the controversial film “The Paperboy” to Cannes Film Festival last year, and late in 2012 joined the cast of “Parkland“, Peter Landesman‘s feature directorial debut which chronicles the lead-up to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and its aftermath. Currently filming “Are We Officially Dating?” with Sundance breakouts Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller, Efron is also hoping to really shed his Disney image with his first villian role, as he looks set to play opposite Harrison Ford in “You Belong With Me“.

Jennifer Lawrence travels to “The Ends of the Earth” in controversial romantic drama

August 6, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Jennifer Lawrence, fresh off Susanna Bier’s “Serena”, will stay in 1920′s tycoon mode a little bit longer. Variety reports Lawrence is attached to star in “The Ends of the Earth”, a romantic drama based on the lives of real life oil tycoons Ernest and Lydie Marland.

Written by Chris Terrio, the film will follow Lawrence as Lydie, who was adopted by her aunt and uncle Virgina and Ernest, only to end up marrying Ernest after Virginia passes away. Lydie was 28, Ernest was 54. As his wife, she urged him “to raise workers’ wages and give them unpredecented access to medical care”, earning the nickname the “princess of the prairies.” A wealthy, educated and headstrong young woman, Lydie stays by Ernest’s side as he loses almost everything in the oil business but transitions into a successful politician, becoming the governor of Oklahoma in 1932. No director has been set yet, though production is tentatively scheduled for next summer.

Next summer is likely when Lawrence will finally have a free moment as she’ll be tied up with sequels “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” well into the early part of 2013. She will next be seen in David O. Russell’s Oscar hopeful “Silver Linings Playbook” opposite Bradley Cooper, who also appears in “Serena” with her.

Romanian actress Ana Ularu to challenge Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in “Serena”

May 12, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Romanian actress Ana Ularu has been cast in the pivotal role of Rachel Harmon in Susanna Bier’s “The Falling”, according to Romanian news site EVZ.ro. The film, formerly called “Serena”, stars Jennifer Lawrence in the titular role with Bradley Cooper as her husband and a supporting cast that includes Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones and David Dencik.

Lawrence and Cooper play Serena and George Pemberton, newlyweds who have eyes only for each other and go to deadly lengths to eliminate anyone or anything that gets in the way of their rising timber empire in 1920s North Carolina. Problem is, George had a little fling with young Rachel before he met Serena, and Rachel became pregnant. The Pembertons refuse to support Rachel in any way, and when Serena discovers she can’t have a child, Rachel’s life and the life of George’s illegitimate child come into immediate danger. British actor Sam Reid has also been cast as Vaughn, one of the Pembertons’ loggers who risks his own safety to befriend Rachel and her child.

Ularu, who speaks fluent English, French, Spanish and Italian, played the lead in Bogdan Apetri’s “Outbound,” for which she won Best Actress at various film festivals. She was recently named one of the Shooting Stars of 2012 at the annual Berlin Film Festival. Recent Shooting Star recipients have included Carey Mulligan, Andrea Riseborough and Alicia Vikander. Reid recently landed a lead role in Alex Proyas’ now dead “Paradise Lost” and was last seen in Roland Emmerich’s “Anonymous.”