Russ & Roger, Lucille Ball, The Headhunter’s Calling, 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.
Lost City of Z
Edward Ashley has landed a major role alongside Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson in James Gray‘s “Lost City of Z”
Ashley will play Arthur Manley, the young corporal who accompanies [Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam)] on his expedition into the jungle.
Lucille Ball biopic
Cate Blanchett is attached to star in an authorized biopic of Hollywood legend Lucille Ball that Aaron Sorkin is set to write for Escape Artists
The film will chronicle Ball’s 20-year marriage to Desi Arnaz, with whom she starred on the classic TV sitcom “I Love Lucy.” Ball had two children with Arnaz before they divorced in 1960. She married Gary Morton the following year.
American Pastoral
Uzo Aduba, David Strathairn, Peter Riegert and Valorie Curry will join Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly and Dakota Fanning in McGregor’s adaptation of Philip Roth‘s “American Pastoral”
Aduba will play Vicky, Strathairn will play Nathan Zuckerman, Riegert will play Lou Levov and Curry will play Rita Cohen.
Ready Player One
Elle Fanning, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” star Olivia Cooke and “Mistress America” breakout Lola Kirke are three of the top contenders for the female lead in Steven Spielberg‘s adaptation of Ernie Cline‘s “Ready Player One”
Fanning, Cooke and Kirke will test for the role of Art3mis, the avatar of Samantha Cook within the Oasis, which is the virtual reality universe at the center of the sci-fi story.
Insiders insist it’s early in the casting process and that casting director Ellen Lewis is narrowing the field
There’s still no word on which young actors are being eyed to play protagonist Wade Watts, an Oasis user who sets off on a series of challenges to win an invaluable prize.
Bourne 5
Vincent Cassel will face off against Matt Damon, as the French star has been cast as the villain in the next “Bourne” sequel.
A.R.C.H.I.E.
Michael J. Fox is set to provide the voice of the lead character, a dog named Archie, in the animated movie “A.R.C.H.I.E.”
“A.R.C.H.I.E.” will be written and directed by Robin Dunne (“Just Friends”), who’s making his feature directorial debut.
In addition to Fox, the movie stars Katherine Isabelle (“Freddy vs. Jason”) and Dunne himself.
Archie (Fox) is a robotic canine created by world-renowned roboticist Brooke Benton (Isabelle) to help those in need. Though he looks like a normal dog, he’s anything but. He can talk and run at blinding speed, has super strength and x-ray vision.
When her research program is shut down by the military, Brooke helps Archie escape in the hopes of finding a family to care for him. Archie then wanders into the small town of Deanewood where Isabel Sullivan has just moved to live with her uncle Paul (Dunne), the town’s mayor and owner of Deanewood’s best burger-joint. Feeling very alone, Isabel struggles to find friends until she meets Archie. They quickly form a close bond and become friends while helping Paul retain his position as town mayor.
The Headhunter’s Calling
Gerard Butler is trading his action-hero stripes for a dramatic turn in The Headhunter’s Calling, from first-time director Mark Williams…[Butler] will play Dane Jensen, a corporate headhunter who works at Blackrock Recruiting arranging jobs for engineers. He is well on his way to achieving his longtime work goal of taking over the company when his 10-year-old son falls ill and his personal and professional priorities clash…Bill Dubuque wrote the script.
SFv1
SFv1 has blasted two new cast members into space, adding Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen) and Luke Ford (Deadline Gallipoli)…Lucas will play Gyp, while Ford will play Bill.
Russ & Roger
Josh Gad has signed on to portray Roger Ebert in Russ & Roger, opposite Will Ferrell as Russ Meyers. The wild comedy will focus on the making of the pair’s legendary exploitation film Beyond The Valley of The Dolls, one of the first X-rated films. Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story) is directing from a script by Christopher Cluess, with polishing by Winterbottom, Neil Gibbons and Rob Gibbons.
The Circle
Karen Gillan has been tapped to co-star in James Ponsoldt’s film adaptation of Dave Eggers’ The Circle.
Gillan has been set to play Annie, a warm, cute, goofy, old-money confident and fiercely intelligent member of The Circle, an Internet monopoly that links users’ personal emails, social media, banking and purchasing with their universal operating system.
Sadie
Analeigh Tipton (Crazy Stupid Love, Warm Bodies, Mississippi Grind) will star in filmmaker Craig Goodwill’s psychological thriller Sadie from a script with and written by Brian Clark. Goodwill…will helm the story that centers on a young female novelist (Tipton) who, along with an enigmatic woman named Charlotte, are enticed by an ex-lover to join him at his Italian villa for a weekend celebration being held to honor the release of Sadie’s latest book. Once there, Sadie begins to fear his true intentions as she and Charlotte become embroiled in a dangerous game of moral and sexual discovery.
Overdrive
Scott Eastwood will star in Overdrive
The story centers on two car thieves, brothers, who journey to the south of France for new opportunities and wind up in the crosshairs of the local crime boss.
Michael Brandt and Derek Haas wrote the script…Antonio Negret…is directing.
Rebel in the Rye
Nicholas Hoult will play author J.D. Salinger in Danny Strong’s upcoming drama Rebel in the Rye.
Strong wrote the screenplay…and he will also direct the film.
The movie tells the story of the birth of Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. The legendary writer soared to the heights of the literary world but left it all behind for a life of seclusion.
American Wolf
Scott Cooper…is in talks to direct “American Wolf” for WB
Based on source material from Nate Blakeslee, a senior editor at Texas Monthly, the story follows a hunter in Yellowstone National Park who accidentally kills an endangered American wolf, and the unlikely friendship that forms between him and the wildlife researcher who works with wolves in the park.
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