Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth Confirmed for “Posh”; Holliday Grainger Also In?

May 19, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

claflin-booth UPDATE: We somehow missed this report from last month, but Britain’s The Daily Mail reports “The Borgias” actress Holliday Grainger is in talks for one of the few female roles in the film, while Emma Watson also met with the director but ultimately couldn’t take a different role. Daily Mail also updates Robert Pattinson has passed on the project.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The gang’s almost all here. After initial reports of negotiations in March, British actors Sam Claflin (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”) and Douglas Booth (“Jupiter Ascending”) have now officially joined Max Irons (“The Host”) in Lone Scherfig’s adaptation of Laura Wade’s 2010 play “Posh”, according to THR. Filming begins next month.

Laura Wade’s 2010 hit play of the same name concerned The Riot Club, a fictional version of The Bullingdon Club, an exclusive society at Oxford University to which such prominent British figures as Prime Minister David Cameron belonged. The entire play is set over the course of one evening when the ten members of the club have their termly dinner. As their President, James, considers leaving his post, the other boys jocky for position, leading to tragic consequences.

Claflin is in Cannes promoting “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, in which he plays fan favorite character Finnick Odair. He previously appeared in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Booth will next appear opposite Hailee Steinfeld in Carlo Carlei’s new adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” and is currently filming the Wachowskis’ sci-fi epic “Jupiter Ascending.”

Jake Abel and Tom Felton Team for “Ghosts of the Pacific”

April 9, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

ghostsofthepacific Stars of “The Host” and “Harry Potter” are crossing paths. It was announced today that Jake Abel and Tom Felton have signed on to star in true life historical tale “Ghosts of the Pacific”, along with seasoned actor Garret Dillahunt.

Producer Brian Falk will be making his directorial debut on the film, which follows three WWII soldiers who are cast adrift on the Pacific Ocean when they are forced to ditch their plane. Dillahunt plays pilot Harold Dixon, Felton bombardier Tony Pastula, and Abel radioman Gene Aldrich. Based on real events, the three are virtual strangers when assigned to go on a scouting mission together in 1942, and must rely on each other for survival when they are stranded in a yellow raft with no food, water or supplies. Filming begins on April 15th at Baja Studios in Mexico, home of the largest outdoor water tank in the world which was built for James Cameron’s “Titanic.”

Felton played the villainous Draco Malfoy in all eight of the “Harry Potter” movies, and was most recently seen in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and horror “The Apparition.” He has wrapped up shooting on period dramas “Therese” opposite Elizabeth Olsen and Oscar Isaac and “Belle” with Sarah Gadon and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Abel is coming off the slightly less successful YA adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s “The Host” and will have another on his hands as he reprises his role as Luke in “Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters”, out this August.

GIVEAWAY: Win Prizes from “The Host”!

March 18, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News 6 Comments

hostcontest

It’s one of the most anticipated films of the year and we’ve partnered with Open Road Films to give away some great prizes to celebrate the release of “The Host”!

What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? “The Host” is the next epic love story from the creator of the “Twilight Saga,” worldwide bestselling author, Stephenie Meyer. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about — Jared (Max Irons), Ian (Jake Abel), her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt) , proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.

THE HOST hits theaters nationwide March 29th, 2013! Click below to see what’s up for grabs. This contest is for US RESIDENTS only. Sorry international fans!

“The Host” Star Max Irons Confirmed for “Posh”

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

max-irons “The Host” star Max Irons is the first actor to be confirmed to be joining Lone Scherfig’s adaptation of hit play “Posh”, according to THR. On Friday Irons, Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth and Robert Pattinson were first reported to be in various stages of discussions with the production about taking four of the ten or so roles available.

THR also echos the original report that Pattinson, out of all the actors, is the least solidified, indicating “he’s being circled more than he’s circling” the project. Laura Wade’s 2010 hit play of the same name concerned The Riot Club, a fictional version of The Bullingdon Club, an exclusive society at Oxford University to which such prominent British figures as Prime Minister David Cameron belonged. The entire play is set over the course of one evening when the ten members of the club have their termly dinner. As their President, James, considers leaving his post, the other boys jocky for position, leading to tragic consequences. No word on who Irons will play, though we initially heard he is in talks for one of the lead roles.

The son of legendary actor Jeremy Irons, the younger Irons has quickly racked up a teen heartthrob reputation thanks to roles in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Red Riding Hood” fairy tale redo opposite Amanda Seyfried and the upcoming alien invasion action romance “The Host” opposite Saoirse Ronan, based on “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer’s novel. He recently wrapped up filming on BBC miniseries “The White Queen”, which will premiere later this year.

Robert Pattinson, Max Irons, Sam Claflin and Douglas Booth In Talks for “Posh”

March 15, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

posh Make room for the new Brit Pack. Some of the hottest rising British actors are in various stages of negotiations for “An Education” director Lone Scherfig’s adaptation of play “Posh”, with The Daily Mail reporting “Twilight”‘s Robert Pattinson, “The Hunger Games”‘ Sam Claflin, “The Host”‘s Max Irons and “Jupiter Ascending” star Douglas Booth are just four of the names being bandied about.

An adaptation of Laura Wade’s 2010 hit play of the same name, Irons, Pattinson, Claflin and Booth would play members of The Riot Club, a fictional version of The Bullingdon Club, an exclusive society at Oxford University to which such prominent British figures as Prime Minister David Cameron belonged. The entire play is set over the course of one evening when the ten members of the club have their termly dinner. As their President, James, considers leaving his post, the other boys jocky for position, leading to tragic consequences. Daily Mail reports Irons is being sought for one of the lead roles, while Pattinson is still in very early talks and also mulling over other projects.

Irons, son of Jeremy Irons, was last seen in “Red Riding Hood” and will soon appear opposite Saoirse Ronan in “The Host”, so he could probably use a film such as this, which will show off more serious acting chops. Pattinson was the original Stephenie Meyer heartthrob, having originated Edward Cullen to screaming fans in “Twilight” in 2008 and only wrapped up the five film series last November. he’s moved on to much more interesting projects, including the currently filming David Michod thriller “The Rover.”

Claflin is one of our Faces to Watch in 2013, mostly because “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” may test once and for all whether he has blockbuster leading man potential (his past blockbuster roles in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “Snow White and the Huntsman” were rather lackluster). Booth, the only one without a YA novel franchise adaptation under his belt, will be seen as one half of the titular “Romeo and Juliet” opposite Hailee Steinfeld later this year and is now filming the Wachowskis’ “Jupiter Ascending” with Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis.

Emily Browning joins Kit Harington in Paul W. S. Anderson’s “Pompeii”

February 20, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

“Game of Thrones” actor Kit Harington has found his love interest for Paul W. S. Anderson’s historical action flick “Pompeii” in Australian actress Emily Browning, according to The Toronto Star.

Harington will play a slave named Milo, who is desperate to buy his freedom and marry the love of his life, played by Browning, who happens to be his master’s daughter. She’s promised to someone else and he’s sold to another owner, but maybe a little natural disaster can bring the two together again. Mt. Vesuvius erupts, prompting Milo to return to Pompeii to rescue his girl as well as his best friend, a gladiator who’s trapped in the city’s coliseum. Lee Batchler and Janet Scott Batchler wrote the script, which was then rewritten by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes. Filming on the $80+ million budged production begins in April in Toronto. Producer Don Carmody estimates the scope and style will be similar to “300.”

As we exclusively revealed in November, Browning will soon be seen in a cameo sized role – which should be expanded for sequels if the first film does well enough – in Andrew Niccol’s alien invasion actioner “The Host”, based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer, and recently wrapped up shooting on indie romantic drama “Summer in February” opposite Dominic Cooper and “Downton Abbey” star Dan Stevens. She recently premiered thriller “Magic Magic” at Sundance with Juno Temple and Michael Cera, and is probably still best known for playing Violent in “Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events”, as well as Babydoll in Zack Snyder’s “Sucker Punch.”

Watch: Saoirse Ronan and Max Irons in third trailer for “The Host”

February 16, 2013 | Posted by Araceli Roach in Videos 1 Comment

thehostnewtrailer

It’s still up in the air whether Stephenie Meyer’s follow-up to “Twilight” has what it takes to be the next big young adult franchise, but the newest trailer for “The Host” at least gives us a lot more to go on. An alien invasion, the battle for the human race, a girl fighting for control of her own mind, and searching for the brother and love she lost, is exactly what made the original novel so compelling in the first place.

Written and directed by Andrew Niccol (“Gattaca”), the film stars Saoirse Ronan as Melanie, one of the lone survivors of an invasion by Souls, aliens who take control of their hosts and have set out to protect the planet from the destructive human population. After Melanie is taken over by a Soul called Wanderer, she must fight back to stop them from using her to find the last of the resistance.

The trailer, which premiered this past week during a Google Hangout with the film’s three leads Ronan, Max Irons and Jake Abel, also features glimpses of stars Diane Kruger, William Hurt and Frances Fisher. “The Host” will be in theaters next month on March 29th, but for now you can see the new trailer below.

“The Host” star Boyd Holbrook joins Liam Neeson crime thriller “A Walk Among the Tombstones”

February 14, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

boyd-holbrook Another fast rising star has joined Liam Neeson in crime thriller “A Walk Among the Tombstones”, according to Variety. Model turned actor Boyd Holbrook has joined British thesps Dan Stevens and Ruth Wilson in rounding out the cast of the Scott Frank written and directed film.

Neeson plays an ex-cop now working as a private investigator who is tasked with finding the kidnapped wife of a drug dealer, who soon discovers the kidnappers have committed similar crimes before and have racked up quite a body count in the process. There’s no word yet on who any of the young supporting stars will be playing. Filming begins next month.

Holbook is one of our Faces to Watch in 2013 thanks to a crowded upcoming slate that kicks off next month with the release of Andrew Niccol’s sci-fi actioner “The Host”, in which Holbrook plays a villainous supporting role. He premiered Naomi Foner’s “Very Good Girls” opposite Elizabeth Olsen and Dakota Fanning at Sundance last month, and has also completed work on Christian Bale revenge thriller “Out of the Furnace” and Terrence Malick’s untitled Texas-set romantic drama opposite Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender.

Saoirse Ronan joining Ryan Gosling’s “How to Catch a Monster”

February 9, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

saoirse-ronan Ryan Gosling continues to gather up an impressive cast for his directorial debut, the fantasy thriller “How to Catch a Monster.” The latest to join is Saoirse Ronan, according to Deadline, with Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes and “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith already on board.

Filming begins in May in Detroit and Hendricks, in the female lead role, will play a single mother who is drawn into a dark underworld as her teenage son discovers a road leading to an underwater city. Smith plays the male lead and Ben Mendelsohn is also on board, though there’s no details on who any of the other actors are playing. Presumably the aforementioned teenage son still needs to be cast.

One of the most prolific and accomplished young actresses working today, Ronan was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Joe Wright’s “Atonement” and recently premiered Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium” at the Toronto Film Festival. She’ll try on her YA adaptation mettle when she stars in “The Host”, based on the novel by “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer. She’s currently in Budapest filming the female lead role in Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” follow-up, “Grand Budapest Hotel.”

Mark Romanek’s “Cinderella” could be Saoirse Ronan, Alicia Vikander or Gabriella Wilde

November 30, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 5 Comments

Thank you, Disney! Two days ago we picked five actresses who we would like to see play the new live action “Cinderella” for director Mark Romanek, and today Variety reports the filmmakers are on the same wavelength as us, and have unveiled a shortlist of three actresses, two of which were also on ours.

Saoirse Ronan, Alicia Vikander and Gabriella Wilde will soon audition for the titular role in the rags-to-riches princess fairy tale, which already has Cate Blanchett in negotiations to play the role of Cinderella’s evil stepmother. We previously highlighted the connection between Ronan, Blanchett and the studio, who had been poised to work together on another fairy tale adaptation “The Order of the Seven” before it fell apart, seemingly giving her a leg up in this competition. It could be her role to lose, though Ronan has famously said no to other high profile projects, including both other Snow White films. She’ll next be seen in Andrew Niccol’s adaptation of “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer’s “The Host.”

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