***Casting Call: Jason Clarke Signs on for Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY, Ellie Kemper Joins 21 JUMP STREET, and Josh Stewart Added to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES ***Tom Cruise in Talks for Christopher McQuarrie’s ONE SHOT ***Bill Pullman, Debra Winger and THE KILLING’s Joel Kinnaman Join Romantic Comedy LOLA VERSUS

Casting Call: Jason Clarke Signs on for Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY, Ellie Kemper Joins 21 JUMP STREET, and Josh Stewart Added to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

by Adam Chitwood   Posted: June 13th, 2011

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you this evening. First up, Baz Lurhmann is close to filling out the cast for his adaptation of The Great Gatsby, as THR reports that Jason Clarke (The Chicago Code) has signed on to play George Wilson, husband of Myrtle. Lurhmann’s A-list cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, Carey Mulligan as Daisy and Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan. Isla Fischer is poised to play Myrtle. The film is gearing up to start filming this fall in Australia.
Additionally, Bridesmaids star Ellie Kemper has landed a supporting role in the 21 Jump Street remake. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star in the film as young cops undercover at a high school. Variety reports that Kemper will play “an annoyingly sincere chemistry teacher,” who has a crush on Tatum’s character. The cast also includes Brie Larson, Ice Cube and Rob Riggle. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) are directing. 21 Jump Street hits theaters on March 16^th 2012. Hit the jump for the casting of Josh Stewart in The Dark Knight Rises, as well as a synopsis of The Great Gatsby. http://collider.com/jason-clarke-great-gatsby-ellie-kemper-21-jump-street-josh-stewart-dark-knight-rises/96233/

Tom Cruise in Talks for Christopher McQuarrie’s ONE SHOT

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 13th, 2011

Tom Cruise may be adding yet another “starring role in an action-centered film” to his list, this time with Christopher McQuarrie’s adaptation of Lee Child’s One Shot. The book is part of a series which centers on Jack Reacher, a former military police officer-turned drifter. Deadline reports that Cruise is now in talks to star in the thriller, which Paramount hopes to turn into a series. McQuarrie, best known as the screenwriter of The Usual Suspects and Bryan Singer’s upcoming Jack the Giant Killer, will be directing from a script he wrote.
Cruise is also attached to star in Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski’s sci-fi flick Oblivion. The current plan, if the deal pans out, is for Cruise to film One Shot this fall before moving on to Oblivion which starts production in January. I’m liking Cruise’s choices as of late. I thought Knight and Day was a smart move back into more action-oriented fare, and he’s assembled a top-notch team for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. He’s currently filming Adam Shankman’s musical adaptation Rock of Ages. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of One Shot. http://collider.com/tom-cruise-one-shot/96228/

Bill Pullman, Debra Winger and THE KILLING’s Joel Kinnaman Join Romantic Comedy LOLA VERSUS

by Adam Chitwood   Posted: June 13th, 2011

Production has begun on Fox Searchlight’s low-budget romantic comedy Lola Versus, and a few new castmembers have been announced. Bill Pullman, Debra Winger and Joel Kinnaman have joined a cast headed up by Greta Gerwig. Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine) has also come aboard the film that tells the story of a 29-year-old woman (Gerwig) who gets dumped be her fiancée (Kinnaman) three weeks before the wedding. She proceeds to embark on a series of desperate encounters as she finds herself questioning her place in the world on the cusp of turning 30.
Kinnamann is best known as one of the stars of AMC’s successful drama series The Killing, which was just recently picked up for a second season. He steps into Lola Versus replacing Orlando Bloom in the role of Gerwig’s fiancée. Daryl Wein (Breaking Upwards) is directing from a script he co-wrote with Zoe Jones. Filming is currently underway in New York City. Hit the jump to read the full press release. http://collider.com/bill-pullman-debra-winger-joel-kinnaman-lola-versus/96222/

**International Trailer for WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER? **Johnny Simmons Cast in 21 JUMP STREET and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER **Joel Kinnaman Joins Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in SAFE HOUSE **Olivia Munn, Alison Pill, Marisa Tomei Joining Aaron Sorkin’s HBO Series MORE AS THIS STORY DEVELOPS

Johnny Simmons Cast in 21 JUMP STREET and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 25th, 2011

Johnny Simmons (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) has scheduled the rest of his 2011 slate — the babyfaced 24-year-old will, like he has for most of his career, continue to play teenagers.  Up first is the 21 Jump Street movie, where Simmons acts opposite Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Scott Pilgrim co-star Brie Larson.  Next, Simmons will shoot the The Perks of Being a Wallflower adaptation with Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Nina Dobrev and Scott Pilgrim co-star Mae Whitman.  Later in the year, Variety confirms Simmons is on board the naughty comedy The Hand Job with Andy Samberg, Donald Glover, Connie Britton, Alia Shawkat, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Scott Porter, Dominic Dierkes, DC Pierson.  Oh, and Scott Pilgrim co-stars Mae Whitman and Aubrey Plaza, not to mention “The Voice” of Scott Pilgrim, Bill Hader.  (Can we take a brief second to re-marvel at the amazing Scott Pilgrim supporting cast?  Ripples for decades!  Okay, back to the piece.)

Hit the jump for more on each project.

.............. http://collider.com/johnny-simmons-21-jump-street-perks-being-wallflower/87584/

THE KILLING Star Joel Kinnaman Joins Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in SAFE HOUSE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 25th, 2011

The new AMC series The Killing is host to fine some acting — too fine to be confined to television.  Tonight, it was reported Mireille Enos is in talks to join Brad Pitt in World War Z; now Heat Vision adds that her Killing co-star Joel Kinnaman will star opposite Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Tim McGraw, Brendan Gleeson, Ruben Blades and the recently announced Vera Farmiga in Safe House.  The story follows “the only surviving agent of an attack on a CIA safe house (Reynolds) as he tries to transport a lethal prisoner (Washington) to a second destination before being taken out by violent forces that want them both dead.”  Kinnaman will play a man who operates the safe house in what Heat Vision calls “a key role.”

The Swedish actor first gained international attention last year in Snabba Cash.  Safe House just so happens to be the Hollywood debut of director Daniel Espinosa.  Kinnaman will first be seen in The Darkest Hour, an alien invasion thriller due December 23.  Safe House follows on February 10, 2012.  Filming is currently underway in South Africa.

.......... http://collider.com/joel-kinnaman-safe-house/87606/

Olivia Munn, Alison Pill, Marisa Tomei Joining Aaron Sorkin’s HBO Series MORE AS THIS STORY DEVELOPS

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: April 25th, 2011

We already know that Jeff Daniels is slated to lead a new HBO pilot from writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) with Greg Mottola attached to direct. Now the female side of the cast is filling out as Deadline reports Olivia Munn (Date Night), Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and potentially Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) are in various stages of joining the project tentatively titled More As This Story Develops. The new series would follow cable news anchor Will McCallister (Jeff Daniels), who has his own show, as well as the show’s female executive producer and staff.

Tomei is currently inching closer to taking the lead female role of executive producer, MacKenzie, for whom producing the news is what she does best and everything else is just noise. Apparently her involvement isn’t official yet, but it sounds like she’ll end up taking the role. Meanwhile, Munn and Pill are already in negotiations for their roles with the former playing a sexy financial analyst on the same cable network as McCallister and the latter taking the role of Maggie, an associate producer on the assignment desk. Sounds like quite a promising series, with a spectacular cast being rounded up. Stay tuned as this project develops.

........ http://collider.com/olivia-munn-marisa-tomei-more-as-this-story-develops/87612/

International Trailer for WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 26th, 2011

An international trailer for the comedy What’s Your Number?.  Anna Faris stars as a woman  who realizes upon sleeping with her 20th guy that she may have missed Mr. Right along the way.  Chris Evans, Zachary Quinto, Matthew Bomer, Chris Pratt, Andy Samberg, Joel McHale, and Thomas Lennon had all been previously announced as being in the cast, but this new trailer shows that Martin Freeman (BBC’s Sherlock) and Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau) are also in the mix.  As for the trailer itself, it looks it could be a solid comic showcase for the talented Faris as long as the script doesn’t fall into too many rom-com cliches.

Mark Mylod (Entourage) directed the script by Jennifer Crittenden (The New Adventures of Old Christine) and Gabrielle Allan (Scrubs).  Hit the jump to check out the international trailer.  What’s Your Number? opens September 30.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

.............. http://collider.com/whats-your-number-trailer/87008/