Film Casting: BARBIE, MAZE RUNNER 3, Luke Evans in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Uprising, The Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Beauty and the Beast, and other movies have made recent film casting, screenwriting, and director news. These films come from movie studios primarily based in the United States. The castings, screenwriters, and directors are subject to change.

Independence Day 2

Jessie Usher…has been cast in Fox’s sequel Independence Day 2. Liam Hemsworth has also been cast in in a lead role and Jeff Goldblum will reprise his role from the original.

Director Roland Emmerich will return to helm the film.

Independence Day 2 is set for release on June 24, 2016 — almost exactly 20 years from when the first film hit theaters on July 3, 1996. Dean Devlin, Emmerich and Harald Kloser are producing.

Independence Day 2 is a big get for Usher, who will play a central character in the new film as the son of Smith’s character.

Uprising

Bryan Singer is tackling an adaptation of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim will adapt the book for the project, which will be titled Uprising.

Heinlein’s 1966 sci-fi novel centers on about a lunar colony’s revolt against rule from Earth.

13 Hours

David Denman is loading his M4 rifle for 13 Hours, the Benghazi movie that Michael Bay is directing for Paramount.

Denman will play an elite sniper named Boon.

The Maze Runner: The Death Cure

T.S. Nowlin, who co-scripted the first movie and scripted the second installment, just sealed a deal to pen a third.

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The third is called The Maze Runner: The Death Cure.

Blue World Order

Billy Zane is to star in “Blue World Order,” an Australian-made sci-fi action adventure directed by Ché Baker and Dallas Bland.

The picture also stars Australian screen legend Jack Thompson (“The Man From Snowy River,” “In the Garden of Good and Evil” and “The Great Gatsby”) and Jake Ryan (“The Great Gatsby,” TV’s “Underbelly”).

The story involves Ryan as a reluctant hero who discovers an unknown civilization, which he wrongly believes may hold the key to curing his comatose daughter.

Other cast includes veteran actor Bruce Spence (“Mad Max”), New Zealand actor Stephen Hunter (“The Hobbit”), Boludé Fakuade and child actress Billie Rutherford.

When the Starlight Ends

David Arquette and Sean Patrick Flanery have joined “Outlander” star Sam Heughan and newcomer Arabella Oz in the indie movie “When the Starlight Ends”

First-time filmmaker Adam Sigal is writing and directing the film

“Starlight” is a surreal dark comedy that follows a struggling writer (Heughan) who, in a deep depression after losing the love of his life, must confront the decisions he made that compelled her to leave. Through a series of metaphorical vignettes providing insight into their failed relationship, the man decides to rewrite his own life the way he wishes it would have gone.

Arquette will play Heughan’s story editor on the novel he’s struggling to write, while Flanery will play Heughan’s neighbor, who thinks his wife is cheating on him.

Beauty and the Beast

Luke Evans is in negotiations to play the villainous Gaston in Disney’s live-action retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” which stars “Harry Potter” actress Emma Watson.

Bill Condon is directing

The script was written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and rewritten by Steve Chbosky.

In the original tale, Gaston was the handsome antagonist who tried to win Belle’s heart and, after losing it to the beast, led a group of townspeople on a hunt to kill the creature.

Barbie

Sony Pictures has set Diablo Cody to write the next draft of Barbie, the live-action film based on Mattel’s top-selling fashion doll that the studio believes will anchor a global film franchise. The studio…had Jenny Bicks write the first draft.

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Source: Variety, Thewrap, Hollywoodreporter