The Belko Experiment, I.T., Assassin’s Creed, Bourne 5, and other films 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.
Lowriders
Melissa Benoist has just closed a deal to star in Lowriders…Ricardo de Montreuil is on board to direct Josh Bierne-Gordon and Justin Tipping’s script.
Benoist’s casting as Lorelai — previously Lily Collins and Nicola Peltz had been in talks for the role…Demian Bichir, Eva Longoria, Tony Revolori, Gabriel Chavarria, Theo Rossi and Yvette Monreal also star in Lowriders, which centers on a teenager caught between his traditional father and estranged gangbanger brother who are both competing in the annual lowrider “Supershow.”
The Crow
Relativity Studios is in negotiations with Andrea Riseborough to play the villain in The Crow…Claire Wilson wrote the adaptation.
Riseborough would play Top Dollar, who in the novel and the original movie was the baddest of the bad guys — yes, a guy — in the story of Draven, who comes back from the dead to avenge his girlfriend’s death after both were killed in a deadly attack. The evil is part of a larger syndicate led by Top Dollar
Transformers Franchise
the Transformers brain trust of Michael Bay, Steven Spielberg and Lorenzo di Bonaventura picked Akiva Goldsman to incubate ideas for a multi-part sequel and spinoff films based on the billion-dollar franchise, they have finalized their “writers room.”
Goldsman’s four-team roster features some of the top names in sci-fi, I’ve learned: Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Iron Man scribes Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, Pacific Rim 2‘s Zak Penn and Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Lost‘s Jeff Pinkner.
The Belko Experiment
Melonie Diaz has joined the cast of The Belko Experiment, the MGM action horror pic written…by…James Gunn…Diaz will play Dany Wilkins, the new girl at Belko Corporation. It’s her first day working in the building, and she really couldn’t have chosen a worst first day, since this is the day the employees are forced to either kill each one another or be killed.
Tony Goldwyn has joined the cast of The Belko Experiment…Goldwyn will play Barry Norris, the COO of the Belko Corporatoin who is used to being in charge at the Belko Building in South America, where office employees are mysteriously forced to either start killing each other or be killed.
John C. McGinley has joined the cast of The Belko Experiment…McGinley will play socially awkward Wendell Dukes, one of the top executives at Belko and longtime friend of Barry Norris (Tony Goldwyn).
Michael Rooker has joined the cast of the upcoming horror thriller The Belko Experiment…[He] will play the role of Bud Melks, head of maintenance in the Belko Building.
Maximum Impact
Bai Ling (The Crow) will appear in the action comedy Maximum Impact, joining Eddie Griffin, Kelly Hu, Eric Roberts, and Tom Arnold. The film is about a team comprised of Russian FSB agents and American Secret Service agents assembled to rescue the granddaughter of the US Secretary of State after she’s kidnapped by an Asian crime syndicate, before her disappearance can trigger a worldwide financial meltdown. Andrzej Bartkowiak (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Doom) is directing from a script by Ross LaManna (the Rush Hour series).
The Magnificent Seven
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and Martin Sensmeier have joined the all-star ensemble cast of The Magnificent Seven. Rulfo will play Vasquez and Sensmeier is Red Harvest.
The Huntsman
Sam Hazeldine has booked a role in Universal’s The Huntsman
Blade Runner 2
Roger Deakins has been tapped by director Denis Villeneuve to be cinematographer on Alcon Entertainment’s Blade Runner sequel
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk has found its squad of beleaguered Iraq War veterans. Filling the ranks of Bravo Squad: Arturo Castro (Broad City), who will play “Mango”; Barney Harris, who will play “Sykes”; Beau Knapp, who plays “Crack”; Mason Lee, who plays “Foo”; Brian “Astro” Bradley, who plays “Lodis”; and Ismael Cruz Cordova, who plays “Holiday”. In addition, Makenzie Leigh (The Slap) will play Faison, a Texas cheerleader and love interest to main character Billy Flynn.
Independence Day 2
Patrick St. Esprit has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox’s science fiction sequel Independence Day 2. He’ll play Secretary of Defense Tanner, reporting to the US President (played by Sela Ward).
Conner4real
Tim Meadows has joined the cast of Conner4real, about a rapper (Samberg) whose album bombs and leaves him with little career choice other than to re-form his old boy band. Meadows will play Harry, Connor’s constantly upbeat and overworked manager.
Jack Reacher 2
Paramount and Skydance are in negotiations with The Last Samurai team of Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz to rewrite Richard Wenk’s script for Jack Reacher 2
Wenk (The Equalizer) wrote the original draft, which Zwick and Herskovitz will take on next.
Assassin’s Creed
Bourne 5
The Circle
One of the hottest Cannes pic packages–the Tom Hanks-Alicia Vikander-starrer The Circle–is in the process of being reconfigured…The Danish actress is in talks to star in two major new tent poles: Assassin’s Creed…and the new Jason Bourne picture opposite Matt Damon with Paul Greengrass directing.
Vikander is likely to drop off the Tom Hanks starrer The Circle…IM Global head Stuart Ford has made an offer to Harry Potter star Emma Watson to play the young female lead.
[The Circle]…written and directed by James Ponsoldt…[would have had] Vikander…play a young employee at a tech company called The Circle, who gets involved with a mysterious man
I.T.
Michael Nyqvist has joined the cast of I.T., the indie revenge thriller that Pierce Brosnan is toplining…He joins a cast that’s shaping up to be a good one, with Brosnan, Stefanie Scott, James Frechville and Anna Friel already aboard.
The original script was written by Dan Kay and Bill Wisher, with Moore and Wisher doing the rewrite.
Nyqvist…will play a mysterious fixer who helps Brosnan’s character save his family and bridge the gap between the digital and analog worlds.
The Girl On The Train
Tate Taylor (The Help) is returning to DreamWorks to direct the NY Times bestselling novel, The Girl On The Train…Erin Cressida Wilson…[is] adapting
The Hitchcockian thriller, the latest in a recent line of complex female protagonists, is about a young woman who becomes entangled in a murder investigation because of what she witnesses on her daily commute. Rachel, who is devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.
Boston Strong
Boston turned out to be too strong for Daniel Espinosa.
The director, who is coming off the major box office disappointment of Child 44, has fallen off of Boston Strong, the drama based around the events of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Central Intelligence
Aaron Paul is in negotiations to join the cast of Central Intelligence
Paul will play Dwayne Johnson’s CIA partner who seemingly sacrifices himself for Johnson.
Tink
Reese Witherspoon…is attached to star in and produce Tink, a live-action take on the classic Peter Pan character Tinker Bell.
Victoria Strouse…is penning the script for the project, which does not have a director on board and is still in development.
Insiders say it will play with the idea and the timeline of the well-known Peter Pan narrative. It is also being developed in the vein of Maleficent
Strange Ones
Thomas Ian Nicholas, Clare Kramer, Hunter Gomez and newcomer Kelly Arjen will star in Brian A. Metcalf’s independent horror/drama “Strange Ones”
Metcalf is…directing from his own script in which an abused high school girl (Arjen) accidentally conjures forth a demon — played by Nicholas — that decides to take revenge on those who wronged her.
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Source: Deadline, Hollywoodreporter