Ben Affleck Will Also Star in His Next Directorial Feature, ARGO
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: June 27th, 2011
Director Ben Affleck first started considering Argo as his next project in February. In the months since, Affleck cast Alan Arkin and John Goodman in two supporting roles. Until tonight, Affleck had yet to announce the man to play Tony Mendez, “the CIA exfiltration expert who created a fake Hollywood production to get six Americans who were hiding out at the Canadian ambassador’s out of Iran.” According to Variety, Affleck will assume the lead role himself. Affleck, Arkin, and Goodman make a formidable trio at the top of the playbill.George Clooney and Grant Heslov are on board as producers under their Smokehouse banner. Chris Terrio (Heights) wrote the script based on a Wired magazine article titled “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran.” Read more about the truly movie-worthy subject matter after the break. http://collider.com/ben-affleck-argo-movie/99176/
Jamie Chung and Scoot McNairy to Star in EDEN, an Indie Drama About Human Trafficking
by Dave Trumbore Posted: June 27th, 2011
Most recently seen playing Ed Helms’ fiancée in The Hangover Part II, Jamie Chung is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces. Early roles in such clunkers as Dragonball: Evolution and Sorority Row led Chung to small parts in the widely viewed Adam Sandler/Kevin James flicks I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Grown Ups. Now, Chung has a chance to topline in Eden, an indie flick directed by Megan Griffiths (The Off Hours), in a true-to-life story about a Korean-American girl who is abducted by human traffickers and sold into prostitution. Eden tells not only the story of her abduction, but also how she spent two years of imprisonment manipulating and influencing her captors to gain power and stay alive.Scoot McNairy, who starred in Griffith’s The Off Hours, is in negotiations to co-star alongside Chung. The script, written by Griffiths and Richard B. Phillips is based on a story by Phillips and Chong Kim. Shooting is planned for August of this year in Seattle and eastern Washington state. Hit the jump for more on Chung and McNairy’s current projects. http://collider.com/jamie-chung-scoot-mcnairy-eden/99161/
Haley Joel Osment to Star in Frankenstein Retelling WAKE THE DEAD
by Brendan Bettinger Posted: June 27th, 2011
After an eight year hiatus from the movies, Haley Joel Osment is making a return to acting with three independent projects. The first two are in post-production, with no release set and truly unfortunate titles: Sassy Pants and Montana Amazon. The third has a fine title (Wake the Dead) and should have no trouble finding distribution given the marketability. Variety reports that Osment will play Victor Franklin, a college student who experiments with raising the dead in a present-day retelling of Frankenstein.Wake the Dead is set up at Slasher Films, a production company launched by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. Jay Russell (The Water Horse) will direct from a script he co-wrote with James V. Hart (August Rush), based on Steve Niles comic of the same name. Wake the Dead is one of many upcoming projects based on the Frankenstein tale. Hit the jump for a recap. http://collider.com/haley-joel-osment-wake-the-dead-frankenstein/99139/
Carey Mulligan and Gary Ross Will Travel to the OUTBACK
by Jason Barr Posted: June 27th, 2011
Oscar-nominees Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Gary Ross (Pleasantville) will join forces in the sci-fi action pic Outback. Per Variety, Nissar Modi (Z for Zachariah) will pen the script based upon an original idea developed by he and Ross. Tobey Maguire will co-produce Outbreak alongside Ross. Graham King and Tim Headington will also co-produce under King’s GK Films moniker. Details regarding the film are close to the vest at this point with the report only divulging that it will be set in the Australian outback.
Mulligan is filming director Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby this summer with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Isla Fisher. She can next be seen alongside Ryan Gosling in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive which is slated to hit theaters on September 16th. As for Ross, the director is currently filming The Hunger Games for Lionsgate. http://collider.com/carey-mulligan-outback-gary-ross/99132/
