Film Casting: THE MEDDLER, STONE RIDER, Jeremy Renner in STORY OF YOUR LIFE

The Meddler, Stone Rider, Story of Your Life, 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 Meddler

Lorene Scafaria wrote and will direct The Meddler, a film that will star Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne and freshly minted Oscar winner J.K. Simmons.

Pic tells the story of Marnie Minervini, a recent widow and eternal optimist who transplants to Hollywood to be closer to her daughter, only to embark on a sea change all her own. Armed with an iPhone and a full bank account, Marnie sets out to make new friends, find her purpose, and possibly maybe even think about dating.

The Infiltrator

Benjamin Bratt has been set to star alongside Bryan Cranston and Diane Kruger in The Infiltrator…The Infiltrator centers on a customs and excise agent (Cranston) who went undercover as a money launderer and infiltrated the bankers behind the Medellin drug cartel. Bratt plays Roberto Alcanio, the agent’s contact who dealt directly with cartel board members including Pablo Escobar.

Stone Rider

Working Title has set Dave Andron to adapt Stone Rider, the David Hofmeyr dystopian science fiction novel about a young man who wants a chance to escape Blackwater, the dust-bowl desert town he grew up in and lead a good life with the beautiful Sadie Blood. Alongside Sadie and the dangerous outsider Kane, Adam will ride the Blackwater Trail in a brutal race where only the strongest survive and the prize is a ticket to Sky-Base and a life of luxury.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

Garrett Hedlund is in advanced negotiations to play the second lead in the Ang Lee-directed Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk for TriStar…In Billy Lynn he will play the dynamic, intense, and explosive leader of the Bravo Company squad, Sgt. Dime.

The adaptation of the Ben Fountain novel centers around 19-year-old private Billy Lynn, who with his mates survived a harrowing Iraq battle that is captured by news cameras. They are brought home by the U.S. administration for a promotional tour, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of a Thanksgiving Day football game, all while facing an imminent return to the war. Almost the entire movie takes place during the day of the game, with flashes back to the underlying events and Billy’s heroism. Lee cast newcomer Joe Alwyn for the title role and Steve Martin has been in talks to star, but it looks like scheduling issues might knock him out of this one.

The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

Emile Hirsch (Lone Survivor) and Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity) have signed on to star as co-leads in The Autopsy Of Jane Doe, the English-language debut of Norwegian director Andre Øvredal (Trollhunter).

Cox and Hirsch will play father and son coroners who receive a mysterious homicide victim with no apparent cause of death. As they attempt to identify the beautiful young “Jane Doe,” they discover increasingly bizarre clues that hold the key to her terrifying secrets.

Story of Your Life

Jeremy Renner will star opposite Amy Adams in Story of Your Life, Paramount’s sci-fi drama being directed by Prisoners helmer Denis Villeneuve.

The story…is set in motion when alien crafts land around the world, and an expert linguist, to be played by Adams, is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. As she learns to communicate with the aliens, she begins experiencing vivid flashbacks that become the key to unlocking the greater mystery about the true purpose of their visit.

Renner will play a physics professor paired by the government with the linguist to help communicate with the aliens.

Eric Heisserer has written the script for the project

Intelligent Life

DreamWorks has picked up Intelligent Life, a sci-fi thriller that [Colin Trevorrow] wrote with his Jurassic collaborator Derek Connolly, with Trevorrow attached to direct.

Plot details are being kept secret, but the project is said to have its roots in an earlier Trevorrow-Connolly project titled The Ambassador.

That project was intended to act as a follow-up to the duo’s acclaimed indie Safety Not Guaranteed…as a low-budget sci-fi thriller. Ambassador told of a U.N. worker in a department that was to represent humankind in the event of alien contact. The man falls in love with a mysterious woman who turns out to be an alien.

Read more ‘We’re the Millers’ Director Tackling Adaptation of Sci-Fi Tabletop Game ‘Dust’ (Exclusive)

Sources say the tone harkens to Safety Not Guaranteed and is a big idea surrounded by rich characters.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Jayson Warner Smith has been cast alongside Maisie Williams in the indie drama “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”

Jessica Biel and Jason Sudeikis star alongside Mary Steenburger, Orlando Jones and Williams

Bill Purple is directing from a script he co-wrote with Robbie Pickering. The film also boasts the involvement of Justin Timberlake, who is supervising the soundtrack and composing original music for the movie.

Sudeikis plays an architect who, after losing his wife (Biel) in a tragic car accident, sets out to build a raft for a homeless teenager (Williams) so she can sail to a far away island. Smith will play Williams’ drunk, abusive uncle.

The Shack

Octavia Spencer [is] entering final negotiations to star in Lionsgate’s “The Shack”

The bestselling novel, released in 2007, follows a man whose youngest daughter is abducted during a family vacation, with all evidence leading to her having been murdered. Years later, he receives a note which appears to be from God, urging him to reexamine the shack centrally linked to his daughter’s disappearance.

Stuart Hazeldine is directing the adaptation.

Lockdown at Franklin High

scribes Andrew Deutschman and Jason Pagan have been hired to rewrite the high school monster movie “Lockdown at Franklin High”

Now known simply as “Lockdown,” the story follows a straight-edge teen girl and her rebellious outcast brother as they try to escape from their high school, which is under lockdown due to the threat of a ravenous monster that has been attacking students.

The original script was written on spec by Greg Bishop and Joe Ballarini

How to Be Single

Damon Wayans Jr. is in negotiations New Line’s ensemble romantic comedy “How to Be Single.”

The cast includes Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Dan Stevens, Rebel Wilson and Alison Brie. Christian Ditter is directing.

Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn penned the adaptation of Liz Tuccillo’s novel, with Dana Fox working on the latest draft. The story centers on a woman living in New York and searching for love.

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Source: Thewrap, Hollywoodreporter, Deadline