Here is the special thread completely devoted to all film casting and development updates. Please feel free to comment and add the lastest information for June, 2009.
Eyes lead in Joan Jett biopic opposite Kristen Stewart
By Steven Zeitchik
Michael Shannon is putting another dime in the jukebox, baby.
The Oscar nominee is in negotiations to play one of the lead male roles in "The Runaways," the feature take on Joan Jett's seminal 1970s rock band.
Kristen Stewart will play Jett and Dakota Fanning is on board to play bandmate Cherie Curry in the River Road pic, which will revisit the short but influential life of the first all-female band of the rock era.
Although the film centers on the four female members of the band, there are a number of key male roles representing people who were personally and professionally associated with band members.
Shannon also is mulling several other offers, and timing details still need to be worked out on "Runaways."
The CAA-repped Shannon has seen the scripts roll in since breaking out in "Revolutionary Road" as John Givings, a mentally imbalanced man who is the only person willing to speak the truth about the repression of the film's 1950s bedroom community.
The role earned him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination, and since then the 34-year-old has signed on to Warner Bros.' action thriller "Jonah Hex" as well as "13," the English-language remake of French underworld tale "13 (Tzameti)."
The flurry of Web buzz about a possible reboot of Ridley Scott's Alien has had fans either crying 'sacrilege!' or doing virtual back-flips. Well, turns out it's true: EW has confirmed that an origins story for the 1979 sci-fi classic is being actively developed by Scott, who would produce but not direct. Instead, he's tapped first-time filmmaker Carl Rinsch, best known for his futuristic TV commercials
Nicholson in talks for Brooks pic Actor is in negotiations to reteam with filmmaker
By MICHAEL FLEMING, TATIANA SIEGEL
Jack Nicholson is closing in on a deal to reteam with James L. Brooks on the helmer's untitled romantic comedy at Columbia Pictures.
Nicholson is the last piece of casting to come together on the ensemble project, which stars Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson.
For months, Bill Murray had been in talks to portray the blueblood father of Rudd's character, but no deal closed. In recent weeks Murray's interest in the project waned and he fell out of touch.
With Murray unresponsive and production scheduled to start in less than two weeks, Brooks reached out to Nicholson.
Brooks, who also penned the screenplay, is producing alongside Paula Weinstein ("Blood Diamond"), Laurence Mark ("Dreamgirls") and Gracie Films prexy Julie Ansell.
Story involves a love triangle, with Rudd playing a white-collar executive vying for Witherspoon's affections, and Wilson portraying a professional baseball pitcher who is also a love interest.
Two of Nicholson's three Oscars have come via Brooks films: 1983's "Terms of Endearment" and 1997's "As Good as It Gets."
Emile Hirsch to star in 'Hamlet' Catherine Hardwicke to direct for Overture
By DAVE MCNARY
Overture Films is developing a modern-day adaptation of "Hamlet" to star Emile Hirsch. "Twilight" helmer Catherine Hardwicke is on board to direct, with Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen producing.
Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia," "The Painted Veil") is adapting the Shakespeare story into a tale set in contempo America.
Jinks and Cohen credited Hirsch with coming up with the idea for the modernized version. The producers noted that there hasn't been a movie version with an appropriately aged actor playing the role. Overture said it hopes to have a finished script in the coming months, with principal photography commencing soon thereafter.
Hirsch previously worked with Jinks and Cohen on "Milk" and with Hardwicke on "Lords of Dogtown."
"Hamlet" has been adapted numerous times for the screen, including Laurence Olivier's 1948 version, which won the best picture Oscar.
Other notable "Hamlet" pics include a 1969 version directed by Tony Richardson and starring Nicol Williamson, Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 film starring Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh's 1996 version.
Screen Gems has made a two-picture deal with Amanda Bynes.
The thesp will first co-star in the Will Gluck-directed comedy "Easy A," and she and Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper will then craft a star vehicle for her second project.
Culpepper said that Bynes, who gained fame as star of Nickelodeon's "The Amanda Show," has been on his radar for some time.
"She's one of the few who can make that graceful transition from kid to adult star because she has such strong comic chops," Culpepper said.
Scripted by playwright Bert V. Royal, "Easy A" stars Emma Stone as a high school student who is victimized by a false rumor that she lost her virginity, until she exploits the rumor mill for her own benefit and becomes wildly popular. Bynes has signed on to play a puritanical high school queen bee. Zanne Devine and Gluck are producing.
Tarji P. Henson Cast in the remake of "The Karate kid"
MTV.com
We keep hearing sudden bursts of news about Will Smith’s remake of “The Karate Kid,” then the project seems to quiet down for awhile. Now, a new actor has signed on to star alongside Smith’s son and she’s a red-hot Oscar nominee coming off “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
“I’m off to Beijing [soon] to work on a film,” actress Taraji P. Henson revealed to us Sunday afternoon on the red carpet of the MTV Movie Awards. “They’re remaking ‘The Karate Kid.’”
The controversial remake of the Eighties classic is rumored to be called “Kung Fu Kid,” although Henson referred to the film by its original title. Will Smith is producing the project, which will cast his real life son and “Pursuit of Happyness” co-star in the role originally played by Ralph Macchio. When we caught up with Macchio a few months back, he expressed cautious interest in the project.
“Benjamin Button” star Henson, who played Brad Pitt’s adoptive mom Queenie in that film, will once again tap into her maternal instincts for “Kung Fu Kid” or whatever it’s called, playing Jaden Smith’s mother. According to reports, Henson’s character is a single mother named Sherry who is forced to move with her son to China in order to keep her job.
“Jaden Smith -– Will and Jada’s son -– is playing the karate kid. I’m playing his mom,” she explained. “And Jackie Chan is playing Mr. Miyagi.” Mr. Miyagi role had been changed to the name Mr. Han — although “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” fans would undoubtedly get a bigger laugh if the latter name was kept.
Henson is currently hard at work on the Steve Carrell/Tina Fey comedy “Date Night,” and she’ll be flying to Beijing to shoot “Karate Kid” as soon as she’s done with that film. Stay tuned; if Henson is soon off to start shooting, then we can expect more casting to be announced soon.
Does an Oscar-nominated actress make the “Karate Kid” remake sound any better in your opinion? Will you keep an open mind, or is the project still scaring most of you folks at this point?
There are too many up-tight gay people on this borad..They need to get laid.. holla at me and if your in my area maybe I can help you out..
Weaver drawn to comedy pair Actress set for 'You Again,' in talks for ''Paul'
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Sigourney Weaver has been set to star in “You Again” for Disney and is in talks to join the Greg Mottola-directed comedy “Paul” for Universal and Working Title.
Weaver will first shoot “Paul,” a comedy about two sci-fi fans (Simon Pegg, Nick Frost) who come across an escaped alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) near Area 51 and try to help it escape. Weaver, who toplined four “Alien” films, is keeping the role she plays under wraps.
She will then star in “You Again” with Kristen Bell for director Andy Fickman. Bell will play a young woman who returns home for her brother’s wedding and is horrified to find he’s marrying her high school nemesis. Weaver will play the bride’s filthy-rich aunt.
Weaver will next star in the James Cameron-directed “Avatar” for 20th Century Fox.
Cast penciled in for 'Easy A' Lisa Kudrow, others join Screen Gems comedy
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Screen Gems has set Lisa Kudrow, Alyson Machalka, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Penn Badgley ("Gossip Girl"), Cam Gigandet ("Twilight"), Malcolm McDowell and Daniel Bird to join Emma Stone and Amanda Bynes in "Easy A," the Will Gluck-directed comedy that begins production June 9.
Stone plays a high school student who, after being ostracized by a false rumor she's loose, uses the rumor mill to her advantage, pitting puritanical students and teachers against their liberal counterparts.
Pic was scripted by playwright Bert V. Royal, who weaves the plight of "The Scarlet Letter" heroine Hester Prynne into a parallel storyline to what the "Easy A" protagonist endures.
Olsen, Pettyfer to get 'Beastly' Vanessa Hudgens stars in 'Beauty' retelling
By DAVE MCNARY
CBS Films has tapped Mary-Kate Olsen and Alex Pettyfer to star alongside Vanessa Hudgens in teen romancer "Beastly," with Susan Cartsonis producing via her Storefront Films shingle.
Daniel Barnz is directing from his own script, in which Olsen's character places a curse on a handsome egocentric young man, to be portrayed by Pettyfer, who's physically transformed into everything he despises.
Story's based on Alex Flinn's fantasy novel, a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" set in modern-day New York. CBS acquired feature rights to "Beastly" in late 2007 as one of its first projects.
Shooting starts June 13 in Montreal. Roz Weisberg is co-producing.
Olsen last appeared in "The Wackness" opposite Ben Kingsley. Pettyfer starred in "Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker."
De Ravin, Brosnan, Cooper join 'Me' Robert Pattinson stars in Summit drama
By DAVE MCNARY
Summit Entertainment has set Emilie de Ravin ("Lost"), Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper to star alongside Robert Pattinson in "Remember Me," the Allen Coulter-directed drama that begins production in New York on June 15.
Lena Olin is negotiating to join the cast.
Pattinson plays a young man whose brother's suicide has split up his parents (Brosnan and Olin) and left him sleepwalking through life. De Ravin will play a young woman who, after watching her mother get killed before her eyes, seizes life to its fullest. Cooper is being courted to play her father.
Will Fetters penned the script, with a rewrite by Jenny Lumet ("Rachel Getting Married"). Nick Osborne and Trevor Engelson are producing through their Underground Films banner.
De Ravin next will be seen in the Michael Mann-directed "Public Enemies."
Brosnan just completed the Roman Polanski-directed "The Ghost" and is shooting the Chris Columbus-helmed "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief."
Lance Gross is joining the cast of Fox Searchlight's untitled family wedding project.
America Ferrera, Forest Whitaker and Carlos Mencia already have been cast in the Rick Famuyiwa-helmed comedy about two families who clash while trying to throw together a wedding in two short weeks.
Famuyiwa also wrote the script for the film, which began shooting Monday. Gross will play the groom-to-be, opposite Ferrera.
Gross, repped by WME Entertainment and Goodmanagement, recently won a NAACP Image Award for his starring role on Tyler Perry's series "House of Payne." He also appeared in Perry's 2008 feature "Meet the Browns."
Chris Pine in talks for 'Unstoppable' Drama will be his first role since 'Star Trek'
By MICHAEL FLEMING
In his first role since "Star Trek," Chris Pine is negotiating to star alongside Denzel Washington in "Unstoppable," the Tony Scott-directed drama for 20th Century Fox.
Pine took "Unstoppable" over several other offers after a dinner Tuesday night with Washington and Scott.
Production will begin in August for summer 2010 release.
Studio and Pine's reps are now working out a deal for him to play a young conductor who jumps into a locomotive with an experienced engineer (Washington) in chase of a runaway train that carries a cargo of toxic chemicals. Pic is loosely inspired by real events, and Mark Bomback wrote the script.
Julie Yorn is producing with Scott and Mimi Rogers, and Chris Ciaffa is executive producer. Drama reunites Scott and Washington, whose latest effort, "The Taking of Pelham 123," opens June 12.
Redgrave, Garcia Bernal join 'Letters' Seyfried, Nero also sign onto Summit drama
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Summit Entertainment has set Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Gael Garcia Bernal and Franco Nero to star in "Letters to Juliet," the Gary Winick-directed film that begins production June 25 in Italy.
Pic is based on a book by Lise and Ceil Friedman about the letters written by the lovelorn to star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet.
Story follows a couple (Seyfried, Garcia) who take a trip to Italy and receive a note meant for Juliet written by a woman (Redgrave) searching for a young man who romanced her during a long-ago vacation in Italy. The young woman scours Tuscany to find the older woman's long-lost love (Nero).
Jose Rivera wrote the script with Tim Sullivan, and Mark Canton is producing with Ellen Barkin and Caroline Kaplan.
The project becomes the second romancer Summit has set for a June production start; the Robert Pattinson starrer "Remember Me" gets under way June 15.
Summit just wrapped the "Twilight" sequel "New Moon" and will shoot the third installment, "Eclipse," in August. Summit is now shooting "Step Up 3" in New York and begins production on the Brendan Fraser starrer "Furry Vengeance" on July 6.
Seyfried is back in romance mode after "Mamma Mia!" She next stars with Megan Fox in "Jennifer's Body" for Fox and then stars with Channing Tatum in "Dear John" for Sony.
Seyfried is repped by Innovative, Redgrave by CAA, Garcia Bernal by WME and Nero by Muse Management.
Javier Bardem to 'Eat' with Julia Roberts Actor in negotiations for Murphy-directed adaptation
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Javier Bardem is negotiating to star in "Eat, Pray, Love," the Ryan Murphy-directed adaptation of the Elizabeth Gilbert memoir for Columbia Pictures.
Bardem joins Julia Roberts and Richard Jenkins in the cast.
Roberts plays the author, and Bardem will play Felipe, the man Gilbert meets and falls in love with on the final leg of a journey of self-discovery that began with the end of her marriage.
Richard Jenkins plays a Texan whom the heroine befriends at an Indian ashram.
Pic was adapted by Murphy, the "Nip/Tuck" creator who last helmed "Running With Scissors."
Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner are producing through Plan B.
Bardem, last seen in the Woody Allen-directed "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," most recently starred for director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu in "Biutiful" for Cha Cha Cha and Focus Features.
'Brokeback' co-stars circling adaptation of Reidy's book
By Jay A. Fernandez
Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, who played a doomed husband and wife in "Brokeback Mountain," are in negotiations to reunite for "Love and Other Drugs" at Fox 2000/New Regency.
Ed Zwick is directing the project (formerly titled "Pharma"), which Charles Randolph ("The Interpreter") adapted from Jamie Reidy's nonfiction book "Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman."
Reidy was a drug rep for Pfizer in the late 1990s who eventually wrote a memoir that shined a light on the practices of the pharmaceutical industry. Gyllenhaal will play the salesman, who begins a relationship with a woman who has Parkinson's (Hathaway) while on one of his sales calls. Their love story plays out in the political and social context of the time.
Zwick and his Bedford Falls partner Marshall Herskovitz are producing along with Scott Stuber. Carla Hacken is overseeing for Fox 2000, Kara Francis for New Regency.
Fox is in the process of obtaining the rights from Universal, which had put the project into turnaround. The filmmakers hope to begin shooting in the fall.
Hathaway also had been considering filling Reese Witherspoon's role in "Tokyo Suckerpunch" at Sony but can't match schedules with would-be co-star Tobey Maguire, who shoots "Spider-Man 4" next year.
Hathaway has "Alice in Wonderland" moving toward a March release and "Get Smart 2" scheduled to film in May, with co-star Steve Carell working on the script.
Gyllenhaal has the David O. Russell-directed "Nailed" in postproduction and Disney's video game adaptation "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" hitting theaters in May.
Gyllenhaal and Hathaway are repped by CAA and Management 360.
The CAA-repped Zwick most recently directed "Defiance," which he also co-wrote.
Joins Paul Bettany in adaptation of TokyoPop comic book
By Borys Kit
Cam Gigandet will star opposite Paul Bettany in "Priest," a horror Western that Scott Stewart is directing for Screen Gems.
Adapted by Cory Goodman from a TokyoPop comic book, "Priest" is set in a world ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires and follows a warrior priest (Bettany) who turns against the church to track down a murderous band of vampires who have kidnapped his niece.
Gigandet plays a young wasteland sheriff who is part vampire. He partners with Bettany to save the girl he loves, the niece. That latter part has yet to be cast.
Michael De Luca and Stars Road Entertainment's Josh Donen are producing along with Mitchell Peck.
Culpepper and senior vp production Eric Paquette are overseeing the project.
The "Priest" deal follows on the heels of Gigandet joining the cast of Screen Gems' "Easy A," a comedic re-imagining of "The Scarlet Letter," starring Emma Stone and Amanda Bynes. Gigandet is playing a third-time senior in high school who still hasn't graduated.
Gigandet, repped by WME Entertainment, is filming Screen Gems' thriller "The Roommate" with Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly. The actor is coming off of winning an MTV Movie Award for best fight, awarded for his work in "Twilight." Gigandet won the award the previous year for "Never Back Down," making him the only actor to win it in back-to-back years.
To star in 'Brightest,' take supporting role in 'Beastly'
By Borys Kit
Neil Patrick Harris has snagged two feature film roles: a starring gig in the indie farce "The Best and the Brightest" and a supporting role in CBS Films' "Beastly."
Co-written and directed by Josh Shelov, "Best" revolves around a couple from Delaware who move to New York's Upper East Side and enter the world of the city's private kindergartens.
Harris is playing the husband, who is not worried about his social status. Bonnie Somerville is on board as the class-aware wife. Also cast are Amy Sedaris, John Hodgman, Peter Serafinowicz, Bridget Regan, Kate Mulgrew and Christopher McDonald. Robert and Patricia Weiser are reteaming with Richard Schiffrin -- with whom they collaborated on the steroid documentary "Bigger Stronger Faster" -- to produce along with Nicholas Simon.
Shelov, who penned "Green Street Hooligans" and created the ESPN series "Mayne Street," wrote the script with Michael Jaeger. Shooting recently began in Philadelphia.
In "Beastly," a modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," Harris is playing a blind tutor who helps and bonds with a teen (Alex Pettyfer) who is shellshocked from being turned into a hideous young man. Vanessa Hudgens and Mary-Kate Olsen also star in the adaptation of the Alex Finn novel, being directed by Daniel Barnz. The movie is in preproduction in Montreal.
Paradigm-repped Harris, who hosted Sunday's Tony Awards, has been twice nominated for an Emmy for his work in the TV series "How I Met Your Mother." Both movies will done on Harris' summer hiatus from the show.
Liam Neeson in talks for 'A-Team' Actor negotiating for 'Hannibal' role in Fox film
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Liam Neeson is in negotiations with 20th Century Fox to star in its long-gestating bigscreen adaptation of "The A-Team" as Col. John "Hannibal" Smith. Bradley Cooper is in early talks to play Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the Joe Carnahan-directed pic based on the 1980s TV series.
Production begins in late August for a June 11, 2010, release.
Ridley Scott is producing with Jules Daly and series creator Stephen J. Cannell, with Tony Scott exec producing through Scott Free. Carnahan and Brian Bloom polished a script by Skip Woods, whose recent script credits include "G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra" and "Wolverine."
Neeson is in talks to play Hannibal, the role originated by George Peppard, while Cooper would play "Faceman," the role played by Dirk Benedict.
Neeson and Fox are working out money issues. He is coming off the global hit "Taken" and most recently completed "Chloe" and "Clash of the Titans," playing Zeus in the latter.
Cooper has established himself as a commodity after his starring role in Todd Phillips-directed hit "The Hangover." He just completed playing the title role opposite Sandra Bullock in "All About Steve."
Carnahan, Fox and Scott Free have kept the series premise -- four war vets wrongly convicted of armed robbery escape from a military prison to become do-gooder mercenaries -- but they've replaced the campy nature of the series with a tone closer to those of "Mission: Impossible" and "Ocean's Eleven."
Still to be cast are the roles of Capt. "Howling Mad" Murdock, played by Dwight Schultz in the original, and Sgt. "B.A." Baracus, the role that made Mr. T an '80s icon.
