Movie News

Film Casting: MAGIC MIKE XXL, MINE, Angelina Jolie Directing AFRICA

Angelina Jolie

Magic Mike XXL, Mine, Africa, and other films have all 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.

Dead Rising / Ted 2

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Dennis Haysbert has been cast as one of the leads in Legendary Digital and Crackle’s zombie movie “Dead Rising.” Additionally, Haysbert has joined the cast of Universal and MRC’s “Ted 2”

Zach Lipovsky (“Leprechaun: Origins”) will direct “Dead Rising,”

Tim Carter wrote the script

Meanwhile, Haysbert has booked a fun cameo in “Ted 2,” which Seth MacFarlane is directing from a script he co-wrote with frequent collaborators Alex Sulkin and Wellesley Wild.

Untitled Seth Rogen comedy based

Adam McKay is attached to direct and Seth Rogen is attached to star in an untitled comedy based on a pitch from actor and Emmy-winning writer Ben Schwartz.

Schwartz will also co-star in the film.

Tell No One

Universal Pictures…is courting…star Liam Neeson for another thriller novel it is percolating. It’s Tell No One, the thriller by bestselling novelist Harlan Coben. There is a script by Oscar-winning Argo scribe Chris Terrio, but they are going to do some work before Neeson will officially attach.

Gavin O’Connor has circled the film as director.

Magic Mike XXL

Andie MacDowell has joined the cast of Warner Bros.’ “Magic Mike XXL,” the sequel to the 2012 drama starring Channing Tatum.

Warner Bros has tapped Amber Heard to co-star in Magic Mike XXL

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Tatum returns to star along with Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello. Gregory Jacobs is directing.

Africa

Angelina Jolie…has been tapped to direct “Africa” for Skydance Productions from a script by Eric Roth.

The pic is based on the true story of paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey’s battle with ivory poachers, who threatened the existence of the African elephant population and the very soul of Africa.

Roger Deakins, who worked with Jolie on “Unbroken,” is also on board as the film’s cinematographer.

Starlight

Gary Whitta…will write the script for Fox’s Starlight, based on the comic from Wanted and Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar. The comic, drawn by Goran Parlov, centers on a space hero, Duke McQueen, who saved the universe four decades ago but came back to Earth, where no one believed his fantastic stories. But years later, after he’s settled down and grown up, he’s recruited for one last adventure.

Before The Fall

Sony Pictures has acquired Before The Fall, a novel written by Noah Hawley…Hawley will adapt his novel and he will produce the feature with John Cameron. The book tells the story of a mysterious private-plane crash, starting in Martha’s Vineyard, and focuses on the two survivors, an artist and a little boy, and the lives of the people who died in the crash — from the flight crew to the wealthy media mogul and his family and the coincidences that begin to emerge which suggest the flight’s crash may not have been an accident

Godzilla 2

Legendary Pictures has closed a deal for Max Borenstein to write the screenplay for the sequel to Godzilla, which Gareth Edwards will direct.

Olympus Has Fallen 2

Fredrik Bond and Millennium have parted ways over the sequel to 2013’s surprise action hit Olympus Has Fallen.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed Bond’s exit, which is due to creative differences. Those differences may be a result of the movie’s accelerated schedule and Bond only coming aboard in August. One insider said prep time was a factor.

Sources say that Millennium hopes to have a new director in the next 72 hours, with Mark Gill and Butler hunkering down to look at candidates.

Knights Of The Roundtable: King Arthur

Warner Bros and Guy Ritchie have set French actress Astrid Berges-Frisbey to play Guinevere in Knights Of The Roundtable: King Arthur.

Since Joby Harold wrote this to span as many as six installments, this is potentially a major star-making role for the young actress.

Ben-Hur

Toby Kebbell is in early talks to play Messala in MGM and Paramount’s remake of “Ben-Hur.”

Go With Me

Anthony Hopkins is re-teaming with his Kidnapping Freddy Heineken helmer Daniel Alfredson (The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest) on Go With Me… about a young woman who returns to her hometown in the Pacific Northwest only to be harassed by an ex-cop turned crimelord named Blackway. Forsaken by the locals and advised to leave town by the local sheriff, she instead turns to an ex-logger (Hopkins) and his sidekick to help her fight back against her sociopathic stalker.

Mine

Annabelle Wallis has boarded psychological thriller Mine from writer-directors Fabio Guaglione and Fabio Resinaro…Armie Hammer stars as Mike, a soldier who finds himself stranded in the desert after a failed assassination mission. There, he has to survive many dangers while also battling the psychological toll of his situation. Wallis will play Jenny, the girlfriend with whom Mike has a complicated relationship. The desire to reconcile with her helps him endure.

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Source: Variety, Deadline, Hollywoodreporter

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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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