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Film Casting: DOWNSIZING, PETE’S DRAGON, Michael Keaton in KONG: SKULL ISLAND

Michael Keaton

Downsizing, Pete’s Dragon, Kong: Skull Island, 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.

The Danish Girl

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Matthias Schoenaerts (The Drop) is joining Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl opposite Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Alicia Vikander (Testament Of Youth) and Amber Heard (Magic Mike 2).

Ali & Nino

Maria Valverde (Exodus: Gods and Kings) has signed on to star in the coveted role of Nino in epic love story Ali & Nino. She will join the previously announced Adam Bakri (Omar) in director Asif Kapadia’s (Senna) big-screen adaptation of Kurban Said’s best-selling Azerbaijan-set novel about two star-crossed lovers.

The story begins in the melting pot of Baku at the turn of the 20th century. Ali is a Muslim, with his warrior ancestors’ passion for the desert; and Nino is a Christian Georgian girl with sophisticated European ways. The childhood sweethearts find their lives interrupted when WW1 breaks out and Baku’s oil becomes the focus of Russia’s vie for power. As the war plays out and control of the Caucuses changes hands, Ali and Nino find themselves swept up in Azerbaijan’s fight for independence.

Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons) has written the script

Kong: Skull Island

Michael Keaton is finalizing a deal to join the cast of Legendary Pictures’ Kong: Skull Island. He will join the previously announced Tom Hiddleston (Thor) and JK Simmons (Whiplash).

Jordan Vogt-Roberts directs from a script written by John Gatins and Max Borenstein

November Criminals

Ansel Elgort  [is]…set to star with Chloë Grace Moretz in November Criminals, the teen thriller adaptation that Hitchcock‘s Sacha Gervasi is directing

Steven Knight (Locke, Eastern Promises) adapted the script from Sam Munson’s 2011 novel about two teenagers who venture into the seedy underbelly of Washington, D.C. to investigate a friend’s murder while falling in love for the first time.

Catherine Keener also stars in the film

Downsizing

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Reese Witherspoon will star with Matt Damon in Downsizing, the next film from Alexander Payne. The pic was scripted by Payne with Jim Taylor…The film is a social satire in which a guy realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself.

Those Left Behind

Jack Griffo has joined the cast of “Those Left Behind,” an indie movie starring Daphne Zuniga (“Melrose Place”), Michael Hogan (“Battlestar Galactica”), Debra Mooney (“Everwood”) and Coby McLaughlin (“Parenthood”)

Maria Finitzo is writing and directing the film…The cast also includes Annie Read, Grant Jordan and Jack Herndon.

Upon returning to her childhood home with her son to see her ailing mother, Shelly (Zuniga) must confront the demons of her past in order to move on with her life. A beautiful story about family, loss, young love and reconciliation.

Griffo will play Shelly’s son Noah, who takes his girlfriend along on the trip to his grandmother’s home. Though he’s eager to enjoy the summer with her, he remains sensitive to his mother’s pain.

Pete’s Dragon

Wes Bentley has signed on to star in Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon”

“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” director David Lowery is directing the film he was first hired to co-write.

Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard also have roles in the new film.

Lowery and Toby Halbrooks wrote the script, which reinvents the core of the original family film, which is not expected to be a musical this time around. The story follows a young boy, Pete (Oakes Fegley), whose parents are dead. He is subsequently raised by the titular dragon in a forest that’s being threatened by loggers.

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

Paul Rudd is set to star in “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving”

Rob Burnett…will direct from his own adapted screenplay.

The inspirational story finds Rudd forming a unique bond with someone afflicted with muscular dystrophy.

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Source: Thewrap, Deadline

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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