Anna Kendrick and Olivia Wilde lead quartet of “Drinking Buddies” in indie comedy

July 11, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 1 Comment

Anna Kendrick, Olivia Wilde, Ron Livingston and “New Girl”‘s Jake Johnson will star in indie comedy “Drinking Buddies”, according to Deadline.

Joe Swanberg will direct the “indie improv comedy” about a “fun and flirtatious friendship that goes off the rails.” Livingston plays the guy part of that friendship, Chris, while there’s no word on whether Kendrick or Wilde will play the female. Kendrick’s casting was announced first, though Wilde seems the more conventional choice. Filming begins in Chicago later this month.

Wilde and Kendrick are two of the busiest actresses around, with the Oscar-nominated Kendrick soon to be seen in her first starring role in “Pitch Perfect”, and supporting roles in political thriller “The Company You Keep”, the animated “ParaNorman” and David Ayer’s cop drama “End of Watch.” She recently wrapped on indie comedy “Get a Job” opposite Miles Teller. Wilde is even busier, having recently wrapped on such high profile projects as Ron Howard’s “Rush” and currently filming Spike Jonze’s new untitled flick opposite Joaquin Phoenix. She’ll next be seen in magician comedy “Burt Wonderstone.”

Garrett Hedlund to jam with Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake for the Coen Bros’ “Inside Llewyn Davis”

January 9, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

“Akira” getting pushed back may be a blessing in disguise for Garrett Hedlund (some would say flat out blessing, but we digress). Variety reports the star now has an open slot in his schedule and has promptly filled it with something awesome: Hedlund is jumping on board the Coen Brothers’ next directorial vehicle, the 1960s set folk music drama “Inside Llewyn Davis”, which already stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake and John Goodman.

Isaac plays Davis, a fictional character loosely based on 1960s Greenwich Village based musician Dave Van Ronk, nicknamed “Mayor of MacDougal Street”, whose circle of friends and fellow musicians included Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Joni Mitchell. Despite being talented and passionate, he can’t make ends meet just playing music. Timberlake has the role of Jim, a fellow folk musician who is married to Mulligan’s character Jean. Hedlund’s character is unknown, but after having done some impressive crooning in “Country Strong”, it should be no problem for him to pick up a guitar and jam with his co-stars.

Hedlund, who is still attached to “Akira” whenever the risky, big budget remake finally gets its act together at Warner Bros, and also has the similarly long-gestating, controversial adaptation of “On the Road” in the can ready for release this year. His past couple of high profile projects, “Country Strong” and “Tron: Legacy”, weren’t exactly big breakout moments for him, but it’s clear bigger successes lay just beyond the horizon for the talented and underrated actor.

Garrett Hedlund in negotiations for “Akira”; Keira Knightley approached for unspecified role

November 3, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 6 Comments

UPDATE: THR reports Keira Knightley has been approached to take a role in the film as well, but like Bonham Carter and Oldman, has not entered any formal negotiations yet.

It’s really happening. Warner Bros is moving full speed ahead on a project that many people have hoped would just go away. Last we heard, “Akira” had been officially greenlit and filmmakers were looking at Garrett Hedlund for the lead role. Well, now it’s official. Twitch reported earlier this morning that the offer had been made to Hedlund to take on the role of Kaneda, and Variety updated a few hours later that negotiations are now formally underway.

In Japan, “Akira” was set in a post-apocalypric Neo-Toyko, but this new Americanized adaptation will take place in New-Manhattan, “where a leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment.” There is no word on who might play that friend, Tetsuo. Hedlund’s name endured from a much earlier shortlist of young actors, so could Tetsuo be Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield or James McAvoy, who were all being looked into for the role back in March? Time will tell but two acting veterans, Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter, do have formal offers for unspecified roles as well. Jaume Collet-Serra will direct.

Hedlund has a bit of a streak going with controversial big screen adaptations lately. “Tron: Legacy” was the sequel to the iconic 1982 nerd classic “Tron”, which a lot of people didn’t want. Water Salles’ long-gestating, upcoming “On the Road” is an adaptation of the Kerouac classic that even more people didn’t want. So really, Hedlund of all people taking “Akira” should come as no surprise.

“Akira” officially a go; Garrett Hedlund front-runner for lead

October 19, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

It’s been quite a roller coaster for Warner Bros’ ambitious big budget adaptation of iconic Japanese manga “Akira”, and it looks like the journey is not over, as perhaps many fans had hoped. The production began casting a net for young actors as potential leads in March, then the studio apparently got nervous with the lack of star power and offered it to Keanu Reeves… who promptly turned it down. Director Albert Hughes then vacated the chair, and in July “Unknown” helmer Jaume Collet-Serra stepped in, but whether the project would ever get off the ground was still very much in doubt, due in part to its high $100+ million budget. But now it appears the studio is keen to get the project going once and for all, as Variety reports it has been officially greenlit, with a trimmed down $90 million budget and a front-runner for the lead role in rising star Garrett Hedlund.

In Japan, “Akira” was set in a post-apocalypric Neo-Toyko, but this new Americanized adaptation will take place in New-Manhattan, “where a leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment.” Hedlund, who was said to be in the running for the role of carefree gang-leader Kanedu back in March, does not have an offer on the table yet, but both studio and director are keen on him and something official should be imminent. There is no word on who might play his best friend Tetsuo. Could it also be someone from the March shortlist, which included Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy? Decisions should start happening soon as the pre-production process has been fast-tracked in preparation for a rapidly approaching March 2012 shoot.

Hedlund is no stranger to long-gestating, controversial films and iconic characters. Not only did he play son of Jeff Bridges’ ultimate nerd icon Kevin Flynn in 2010′s years-in-the-making “Tron: Legacy”, a sequel to the 1982 classic, he also has Walter Salles’ decades-in-the-making adaptation of “On the Road” coming up. That, of course, is based on the Jack Kerouac classic that many people believe simply can’t be adapted for the screen, and he’ll play Dean Moriarity, based on legendary Beat generation icon Neal Cassady. Sounds like “Akira” could be right up Hedlund’s alley.

Olivia Wilde, Brit Marling and more testing for female leads in “Horizons” opposite Tom Cruise

August 25, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Who’s ready to go head to head with arguably one of the biggest movie stars in the world? Variety reports five young up and coming young actresses are testing this weekend to star opposite Tom Cruise in new sci-fi epic “Horizons” (formerly “Oblivion”). Will it be Brit Marling, Olivia Wilde, Noomi Rapace, Jessica Chastain or Olga Kurylenko, some combination of the above or others altogether? All five young ladies are testing for two roles up for grabs on Saturday, but other names are still under consideration.

“Tron: Legacy” helmer Joseph Kosinski directs the film about a man named Jack who lives in the clouds above the earth and goes down to the surface to repair drones that keep the planet safe from an alien race that has practically wiped out the human race. The two female leads are Victoria, Jack’s fellow cloud dweller, confidante and lover, and Julia, who had been his fiancee on earth before the invasion.

Advantage Wilde: Kosinski obviously has great affection for the increasingly in demand actress, having already cast her as the female lead in “Tron”. Advantage Marling: the Sundance breakout star was sought for Cruise’s thriller “One Shot” but passed due to scheduling conflicts. Rapace, Sweden’s original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, was hand-picked by Ridley Scott to headline “Prometheus”. Chastain is easily the most prolific actress of 2011, with “The Tree of Life”, “The Help”, “The Debt” and “The Texas Killing Fields” already under her belt. Kurylenko, Daniel Craig’s Bond girl in “Quantum of Solace”, co-stars with Chastain in Terrence Malick’s next, “The Burial.”.

While Universal, the studio behind “Horizons”, has been dumping one high profile project after another in recent days – “Ouija”, followed by “Wicked Lovely” – this particular film is on the fast track, already set for a July 19, 2013 release.

Olivia Wilde has “Words” with Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana

June 3, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Olivia Wilde’s increasingly busy schedule just got a little fuller, with Variety reporting the 26-year-old actress has signed on to star opposite Bradley Cooper in dramatic thriller “The Words”, which is the feature directorial debut of Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, who wrote “Tron: Legacy”, which starred Wilde. Ben Barnes, French actress Nora Arnezeder and J.K. Simmons are also joining the cast, which already includes Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons and Dennis Quaid.

Cooper plays a successful writer who realizes he has to pay a price when he plagiarizes someone else’s work. The film – a Blacklist topper penned by the Klugman/Sternthal duo as well – is gearing up to shoot in Montreal this month.

Wilde is set to have an even bigger 2011 after having a bit of a breakout moment via “Tron: Legacy” in late 2010. She’s been slowly easy her way out of her commitments to Fox series “House” to make room for such varied projects as next month’s mega-blockbuster “Cowboys vs Aliens” opposite Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig and gross-out guy comedy “The Change-Up” opposite Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. On the sci-fi side she has “In Time” with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, and then there’s familial drama “Welcome to People” with Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks, indie comedy “Butter” and thriller “Blackbird” opposite Eric Bana. Long story short, if you plan on any sort of moviegoing activity in 2011, chances are you’ll be seeing Olivia Wilde on the big screen this year.

Garrett Hedlund wraps “Road”, premieres “Tron” and sings in “Country” clip

December 12, 2010 | Posted by Linda Ge in Interviews, Videos 1 Comment

Is Garrett Hedlund the hardest working guy in Hollywood? Yesterday, he finally wrapped up shooting Walter Salles’ “On the Road” in Sacramento, CA – hours before the Los Angeles premiere of his other film “Tron: Legacy”, out December 17. He tells Screen Crave of the film he’d been shooting since July, “Yesterday morning I was driving across the Bay Bridge in a Hudson, wrapped at 11, jumped on a plane to get back here [Los Angeles], cut my hair, and went straight to the Tron [Legacy] premiere.” In “Road”, Hedlund portrays Dean Moriarty, based off Beat generation icon Neal Cassady, opposite British up and comer Sam Riley as Sal Paradise (Jack Kerouac himself), while in “Tron” he plays Sam Flynn, the son of Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn.

Watch: New trailer for “Tron: Legacy” delivers more emotion than action

November 9, 2010 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos Leave a comment

A new trailer has been released for “Tron: Legacy” and focuses much more on the characters and relationships of the story rather than the special effects and action. Oh, don’t worry, there are plenty of those, particularly in a weird digitally de-aged Jeff Bridges as 1980′s era Kevin Flynn, but the bulk of the trailer is spent on delivering emotional punch, as Flynn disappears, leaving young son Sam orphaned. There are plenty of father/son reunion shots, Olivia Wilde is also on board to deliver some romantic tension with a grown up Sam, played by Garrett Hedlun, and even Flynn and his digital younger alter-ego face off. Looks like “Tron: Legacy” will be hitting the audience from all angles. You can judge this family drama/futuristic fantasy flick for yourself when it’s released in 3-D and 2-D on December 17, 2010.

TRON: LEGACY – 10 Questions in 60 Seconds

November 3, 2010 | Posted by Linda Ge in Interviews, Videos Leave a comment

Watch two of the most in-demand young actors on the scene right now, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde, shoot rapid-fire questions at each other about their December 17, 2010 release “Tron: Legacy”. Hit Read More to watch them in a scene from the movie.

Hedlund can next be seen in “Country Strong” and recently completed work on “On the Road”, based on the classic Kerouac tale. Wilde just finished shooting “Cowboys and Aliens” opposite Harrison Ford and is in the mix for Ridley Scott’s “Alien” prequel.

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