Sean Penn Set for The Three Stooges March 25, 2009 6:46 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Benicio Del Toro, Jim Carrey, Sean Penn, The Three Stooges
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MGM and the Farrelly brothers have settled on their cast for The Three Stooges. Variety has confirmed an earlier report that Sean Penn is set to play Larry, while negotiations are underway with Jim Carrey to play Curly and Benicio Del Toro being targeted to play Moe.
Jim Carrey is expected to gain 40 or so pounds to approximate the physical dimensions of Curly.
Variety reports that the film is not a biopic, but rather a comedy built around the antics of the three characters that Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Howard played in the Columbia Pictures shorts.
Chelsea Handler Inks 3-year Deal March 24, 2009 1:02 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, E!, News, Television.Tags: Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Lately
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Chelsea Handler, host of the E! Entertainment latenight show Chelsea Lately, has inked a new 3-year deal with parent company Comcast Entertainment Group that will keep her at the network for at least the next three years.
The deal, said to be worth as much as eight figures, means that Handler will continue as the host and executive producer of the latenight show through 2012.
Source: Variety
Casting Bites: Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway, Tom Selleck, Peter Krause and More March 24, 2009 12:52 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Casting, CBS, HBO, Lionsgate, Movies, NBC, Summit Entertainment, Television, Warner Brothers, Warner Independent.Tags: Big Love, Canned, Five Killers, Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, Parenthood, State of Romance, Sucker Punch, The Eastman's, The Rum Diary, The Twilight Saga's New Moon, This Little Piggy, V
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Here’s a round up of the latest casting related news for television and film.
- Amanda Seyfried won’t be able to take on the lead role in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch because HBO won’t release her from her contract on Big Love. Snyder’s film begins shooting this fall, which would conflict with scheduled shooting on the fourth season of Big Love. [EW]
- Actors Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Tyson Houseman have all signed on to star as members of the wolf pack in Summit Entertainment’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon. [STYD]
- Anne Hathaway has signed on to star as Judy Garland in the film and stage adaptations of Gerald Clarke’s biography Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland. [Weinstein Co.]
- Giovanni Ribisi has joined the cast of Hunter S. Thompson’s adaptation of The Rum Diary from Warner Independent. Ribisi will play a carousing journalist in the film, which stars Johnny Depp. [Variety]
- Amanda Bynes has landed the starring role in the ABC pilot Canned. The actress will play Sarabeth, a naive Midwesterner who’s being exploited by her boss – and doesn’t realize it. [Variety]
- Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Mull have all joined the cast of Five Killers, a Lionsgate action comedy that also stars Ashton Kutcher (as a retiring hitman) and Katherine Heigl (his computer tech girlfriend). Selleck and O’Hara are playing Heigl’s overprotective father and doring mother, while Mull is playing Holbrook, Kutcher’s handler. Robert Luketic is directing the film which is scheduled for release on June 4, 2010 release. [THR]
More casting bites after the jump. (more…)
50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) Replacing Forest Whitaker in Stallone’s The Expendables March 19, 2009 4:21 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: 50 Cent, Curtis Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, The Expendables
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AICN is reporting that Forest Whitaker has had to pull out of Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming action pic The Expendables due to conflicts with other projects. Replacing the award-winning actor will be rapper 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson). There’s been some backlash to the casting, which has prompted Sly himself to respond. Here’s an excerpt via AICN:
A player is only as good as his coach. If a man can communicate in one medium, he can communicate in another if his strengths are brought out and he has the support of well-wishers. So, trust me, the change of Forest Whitaker to 50 Cent AKA Curtis Jackson is a good one.
Writer Signed for The Lost Boys 3 March 18, 2009 6:20 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, Warner Premiere.Tags: Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, Lost Boys 3
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Bloody-Disgusting is reporting that TV writer Evan Charnov has been tapped by Warner Premiere to pen a screenplay for The Lost Boys 3, the studio’s next direct-to-video sequel of the classic 1987 vampire film. The site also reports that Corey Feldman has come on to executive producer and will also return again as Edgar Frog, and perhaps more importantly, this film will actually focus on Feldman’s character.
In related news, Moviehole.net reporst that Jamison Newlander has also been cast.
Natalie Portman Cast in Thor? Plus Casting Notes for the Lead Role March 17, 2009 5:38 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Alexandar Skarsgard, Charlie Hunnam, Josh Hartnett, Liam Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, oel Kinnaman, Thor, Tom Hiddleston
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Over at Deadline Hollywood Daily, Nikki Finke reports that Natalie Portman “is in the lead for the female lead” in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor. Finke also provides a run down of all the actors that have tested for the role, including Josh Hartnett, Charlie Hunnam, Tom Hiddleston, Alexandar Skarsgard, Liam Hemsworth and Joel Kinnaman.
Charisma Carpenter Joins Cast of Sly Stallone’s The Expendables [UPDATE] March 12, 2009 1:17 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Charisma Carpenter, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Forest Whitaker, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Sylvester Stallone, The Expendables
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UPDATE: Variety confirmed the casting and also announced that former WWE wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has also been added to the cast.
Original article follows below.
I don’t know how I missed this news from a few days ago. According to TV Guide, Charisma Carpenter (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) has been cast in Sylvester Stallone’s star-heavy action pic The Expendables. She’ll be playing the girlfriend of co-star Jason Statham.
In addition to Carpenter and Statham, The Expendables stars writer/director Sylvester Stallone, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren and Forest Whitaker.
via MovieWeb
Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johannson Sign On To Iron Man 2 [UPDATE] March 11, 2009 9:21 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau, Justin Theroux, Mickey Rourke
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Update: Variety has confirmed the casting with a few more details about the role. Rourke “He’ll play Whiplash, a character that includes elements from that comicbook villain and Crimson Dynamo, another Russian baddie.” Interestingly enough, Variety adds that Rourke has already met with director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux and has been involved in the development of his character.
Original article follows below.
After at first being low-balled by Marvel Studios, the studio has signed Mickey Rourke for the role of a Russian villain in Iron Man 2. According to Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily, Rourke’s agent David Unger negotiated that original low-ball offer to a “significant” level.
Finke reports that Marvel isn’t expected to confirm the casting “until all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed on the contracts.”
In a separate post, Finke also reports that Scarlett Johannson has officially replaced Emily Blunt to play the Black Widow. But Finke reports that the deal, unlike the one just signed by Rourke, is not a good one:
“[It’s] just the opposite, a terrible deal made by CAA,” one of my insiders says. “It’s as bad as any deal that I’ve heard. It’s lowball money. And it ties her to countless movies, including that ensemble The Avengers, which is what makes this brutal for a lot of actors.”
Five Join Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods March 10, 2009 3:04 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth, Drew Goddard, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Joss Whedon, Kristen Connolly, The Cabin in the Woods
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Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard have cast Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams in the duo’s secretive genre project The Cabin in the Woods. The screenplay was written by Whedon who is producing with Goddard (who is also directing).
“Finding this ensemble has been very hard and very rewarding,” Whedon said. “Each of the ‘kids’ is unique, fascinating and talented, and like true friends, the group is more than the sum of its parts. These are people you care about, able to go toe to toe with the amazing actors we’ve corralled thus far, and not unpretty in the bargain. I can’t wait to harm them.”
The Cabin in the Woods is shooting now, but its release has been pushed back from October 23rd to February 5, 2010.
Source: THR
Rebecca Romijn Joins ABC Pilot Eastwick March 9, 2009 8:16 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Casting, News, Television.Tags: Eastwick, Rebecca Romijn
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Rebecca Romijn has joined the cast of ABC’s Eastwick, the networks drama pilot based on the 1987 feature-film The Witches of Eastwick, and based on the John Updike novel of the same name.
Romijn will play the lead character on Eastwick, Roxi Torcoletti, joining previously cast Lindsay Price (who’ll play “Joanna Frankel”), Jaime Ray Newman (“Kat Rougemont”) and Paul Gross (“Darryl Van Horne”).
Source: Variety
Ashlee Simpsons-Wentz Headed to Melrose Place March 9, 2009 5:07 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, News, Television, The CW.Tags: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Melrose Place
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Singer/Actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz will star on The CW’s Melrose Place update, returning to network television seven years after her role on The WB’s 7th Heaven. Simpson-Wentz will play Melrose Place’s newest resident, Violet, a bright-eyed but shrewd small-town girl and recent L.A. transplant who has come to town with a secret. THR reports that the character will draw parallels to the original series’ Sandy Harling (Amy Locane).
Simposon-Wentz joins the previously announced cast of Michael Rady and Katie Cassidy (see related story).
Dakota Fanning To Star in New Moon March 8, 2009 8:21 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, Summit Entertainment.Tags: Dakota Fanning, The Twilight Saga's New Moon
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It’s official. The late-January report from E! Online that Dakota Fanning was in talks to play Jane in The Twilight Saga’s New Moon has been confirmed. A rep for Summit Entertainment has confirmed the casting news to People Magazine.
Filming on ‘New Moon’ is set to begin in Vancouver later this month.
“We did just get a script. We’re shooting the rest of the films back to back,” says Nikki Reed, who plays Rosalie Hale in the film. “(Director) Chris Weitz is amazing and I think it’s going to be wonderful.”
The Twilight Saga’s New Moon hits theaters on November 20, 2009.
Leonardo DiCaprio Cast in Nolan’s Inception March 4, 2009 2:35 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Christopher Nolan, Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio
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Leonardo DiCaprio is set to star in Inception, the sci-fi action film directed and written by The Dark Knight’s Christopher Nolan, according to THR. An original project, Inception is described as a contemporary sci-fi action film set within “the architecture of the mind.”
Warner Bros. has set a July 17, 2010 release for the film.
Snyder’s Sucker Punch Cast Shaping Up March 4, 2009 2:25 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, Warner Brothers.Tags: Abbie Cornish, Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone, Evan Rachel Wood, Sucker Punch, Vanessa Hudgens, Zack Snyder
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With just a few days until the release of Watchmen, Zack Snyder is already lining up talent for an all-female cast for his next project, Sucker Punch.
THR reports that Amanda Seyfried is in negotiations to topline the project, while Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Evan Rachel Wood and Emma Stone are all in talks to star in the action fantasy. According to THR, Sucker Punch is set in the 1950s and follows a girl who is confined to a mental institution by her stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days. While there, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain, and in that world, she begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man.
Snyder, who will direct, also co-wrote the script with Steve Shibuya and describes the fantasy world as “‘Alice in Wonderland’ with machine guns.”
Snyder will be producing the project with his Cruel & Unusual Films partner and wife Deborah Snyder.
Megan Fox In Negotiations for Jonah Hex; Cast in Fathom March 4, 2009 2:15 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Fox Atomic, Movies, News, Warner Brothers.Tags: Fathom, Jonah Hex, Megan Fox
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Megan Fox is one busy lady these days. The Transformers star is in final negotiations to star opposite Josh Brolin and John Malkovich in Warner Bros.’ action Western Jonah Hex, which is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The actress is also attached to star and develop Fathom, Fox Atomic’s comic book-based underwater adventures.
According to THR, Fox will play Leila in Jonah Hex, a gun-wielding beauty and love interest of Hex (Brolin), a scarred bounty hunter tracking a voodoo practitioner (Malkovich) who wants to raise an army of undead to liberate the South.
For Fathom, Fox will help develop and shape the adaptation and will produce in some capacity.
Cate Blanchett Confirmed For Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood February 25, 2009 5:22 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Cate Blanchett, Robin Hood
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Variety has confirmed The Telegraph’s report from earlier in the month that Cate Blanchett will play Maid Marian opposite Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood.
The film has a budget of $130 million and enters production in early April. Producer Brian Grazer is producing alongside Ridley Scott and says that Blanchett was a strong match for Crowe:
“They are both highly accomplished dramatic actors who are taken seriously playing rich characters in period pieces, but each has the ability to show you fun,” Grazer said.
LL Cool J Cast as Lead in NCIS Spin-Off February 25, 2009 3:51 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, CBS, News, Television.Tags: LL Cool J, NCIS, NCIS Spin-off
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Variety is reporting that rapper/actor LL Cool J has been set to star in CBS’s planned NCIS spin-off. He’ll play a tough but charming former Navy SEAL who works undercover for the NCIS unit in L.A. and is an expert on the Middle East. The spin-off will air as one half of a two-part episode of the CBS drama NCIS later this season. NCIS showrunner Shane Brennan created the still-untitled spin-off and will executive produce for CBS Paramount.
Lindsay Price Joins ABC’s Eastwick February 25, 2009 3:33 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Casting, News, Television.Tags: Eastwick, Lindsay Price
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Lindsay Price (of NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, which actually yet be officially canceled) has joined the cast of ABC’s Eastwick, the network’s drama pilot based on the 1987 feature-film The Witches of Eastwick. Price will play Joanna, one of the three young witches in the series. Joanna is described as a hardworking, shy reporter for the local newspaper. She joins Jaime Ray Newman, who was recently cast as a fellow witch.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Lou Diamond Philips, Three Others, Added to Cast of SGU: Stargate Universe February 25, 2009 3:25 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, News, Press Releases, Sci Fi, Television.Tags: Alaina Huffman, Elyse Levesque, Lou Diamond Philips, Ming-Na, SGU: Stargate Universe
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The cast for SCI FI’s new Stargate original series is expanding. SCI FI has announced that Lou Diamond Philips, Ming-Na, Elyse Levesque and Alaina Huffman have been added to the cast of the new series, SGU: Stargate Universe.
SGU follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians, who must fend for themselves as they are forced through a Stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth. Faced with meeting the most basic needs of food, water and air, the group must unlock the secrets of the ship’s Stargate to survive. The danger, adventure and hope they find on board the Destiny will reveal the heroes and villains among them.
Lou Diamond Phillips (Che, La Bamba) is Colonel Telford, a proud lifelong military man, who puts his faith in the chain of command. Stubbornly confident, he’s highly regarded by his superiors. He is the chosen leader of the ill-fated expedition.
Ming-Na (ER, Vanished) is Camile Wray, a human resources executive with the international oversight committee that governs the Stargate program. Now the highest ranking member of that division left stranded on the ship, she carries herself with a misguided sense of superiority over the other military and civilian survivors.
Elyse Levesque (Smallville, Men in Trees) stars as Chloe Armstrong, the daughter and aid of a U.S. Senator. Politically savvy, but with a wild side, she is considering following in her father’s footsteps, until she finds herself trapped on the ship. As tensions rise, her character will be tested and her place among the group revealed.
Alaina Huffman (Smallville, Painkiller Jane) portrays MSGT. Tamara Johansen. Unable to afford medical school, the Air Force was the best option for the strong-willed field medic. Faced with the mounting pressure and a lack of in-depth experience, she will be forced to rise to the extraordinary occasion of needing to treat the seriously wounded.
SGU: Stargate Universe launches this October with a two-part opening episode directed by Andy Mikita. The full press release announcing the new additions, can be read in full after the jump. (more…)
Michael Cera Finally On Board for Arrested Development Movie February 25, 2009 3:04 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Fox, Fox Searchlight, Movies, News, Television.Tags: Arrested Development, Michael Cera
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Awesome. After months of indicating he wasn’t interested in doing a feature-length version of the hilarious, if not successful, Fox comedy Arrested Development, E! Online’s Kristin reports that Michael Cera has apparently buckled to pressure and agreed to board the project. Kristin further reports that the movie may go into production as early as the end of the year. Series creator Mitchell Hurwitz is writing and directing the script. Fox Searchlight is the studio.
A later update has a reaction from one of the series’ star, Portia de Rossi, who when asked why there was such a hold up with Cera’s casting replied: “I don’t know, I honestly don’t. I spoke to Jason Bateman and Will Arnett; I think it was just a matter of timing. I don’t know.”
Amanda Seyfried Eyed for Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch February 23, 2009 7:51 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Amanda Seyfried, Sucker Punch, Zack Snyder
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IESB.net recently chatted with Watchmen director Zack Snyder about his next film, Sucker Punch, which he described as “an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ with machine guns”. Snyder says that they’ve begun casting for the R-rated film and confirmed that they’re talking to Amanda Seyfried to play one of the five lead female roles:
“I don’t know, I mean, she’s got some other obligations and we’re just trying to figure that out,” he said, adding, “I think we’re looking at, like, what I would consider a lot of great, really great girls. Because it’s all girls so it’s like, yeah.”
Iron Man 2 Casting Note: Emily Blunt Out? February 23, 2009 6:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Emily Blunt, Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau
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While walking the red carpter at last night’s Oscars, Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau told E! that Emily Blunt is officially out as the Black Widow in the film. Favreau said that 20th Century Fox has decided to exercise their option on the actress, and Blunt will be starring in Gulliver’s Travels instead (see related story here).
The current rumor is that Scarlett Johansson is in talks to play the role.
via The Playlist
Linda Hamilton Confirms She’s In Talks for Terminator Salvation Role February 23, 2009 5:07 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News.Tags: Linda Hamilton, McG, Terminator Salvation
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Linda Hamilton has confirmed what McG first hinted at last month, that she’s in talks to do a voiceover as Sarah Connor for Terminator Salvation. Here’s what Hamilton told MTV:
“We are talking”… “I haven’t read it yet. I don’t know what direction they will go in.”
While she awaits the specifics in a script, Hamilton already knows what her role generally would be. “My contribution would be voiceover,” she said. “I would probably be very happy to loan my voice depending on what the material is. Wait and see. They’re already writing it. We’ve been negotiating it.
Casting Call for Thor February 19, 2009 9:19 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, Thor.add a comment
A casting notice for the lead role in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor has gone out, and according to the explanation for the role, provided by Coming Attractions, it’s fair to say many will not like it:
Male MUST BE MID-LATE 20′S and SIX FEET OR TALLER. LEAD.
Physically powerful, very handsome, occasionally egotistical, petulant, and wild. A natural warrior with a quick charming wit who must be genuinely and severely humbled before becoming the compassionate, mature hero of our film.
The physical and personal traits sound to be right on, but I don’t like that they’re looking for such a young actor.
The start date is July and the filming will conclude by September.
Liev Schreiber and Chiwetal Ejiofor Cast in Salt February 19, 2009 8:09 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, Salt.add a comment
Moviehole’s scoop that Liev Schreiber was in talks to star opposite Angelina Jolie in the spy thriller Salt has been confirmed by Variety. Moviehole is also reporting that Chiwetel Ejiofor has joined the cast. The film centers on Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer who is fingered as a Russian sleeper spy. Schreiber will play Salt’s boss and friend.
via ComingSoon.net
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