Casting News & Productions Notes From The Last Week . . .
-Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) has joined Gregg Araki’s White Bird. According to The Playlist, Woodley will play a young woman whose life is turned upside down when her mother disappears.
-Deadline is reporting Zoe Aggeliki is the frontrunner to play Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Aggeliki will make her big-screen debut in R.I.P.D. alongside Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds.
-The History Channel has begun casting a new scripted series titled Vikings. The story follows the family saga and rise to power of Ragnar Lothbrok, a great hero who pushed the limits of exploration and rose to become King of the Viking tribes. Gabriel Byrne and George Blagden are joined by Travis Fimmel, Jessalyn Gilsig, Gustaf Skarsgard, Clive Standen and Katheryn Winnick.
-Screen Gems is moving forward with a sequel to Think Like A Man after the film grossed $91 million dollars on a $12 million dollar budget.
-Disney is developing an animated film based on the Marvel comic book Big Hero 6 aimed at a 2014 release. More on Big Hero 6: When the Japanese government wanted a team of state-sanctioned super-heroes at their disposal, a top-secret consortium of politicians and business entities known as the Giri was formed to recruit and train potential superhuman operatives for “Big Hero 6.” Despite reservations by some members of the Giri, Silver Samurai, a freelance ronin and former bodyguard of the terrorist Viper, was appointed as field commander. Secret agent Honey Lemon, inventor of the nanotechnology-based Power Purse from which she could access any object, also agreed to join the team. The tough-talking GoGo Tomago, able to transubstantiate her body into a fiery force blast by uttering her code-name, was released from prison on the condition that she serve on the team. The Machiavellian bureaucrat known only as Mr. Oshima was appointed as the Giri’s spokesperson and coordinated Big Hero 6′s activities.
-Kevin Hart is the first actor to sign on for the About Last Night remake. I’m more surprised to hear they are remaking About Last Night . . .
-Tommy Lee Jones has join Luc Besson’s Malavita starring Robert De Niro. The film follows a mafia family who seeks witness protection in France, but they bring their criminal habits with them and start dealing with things the old fashioned way. Jones is set to play De Niro’s “stern handler in the FBI-sponsored program,” who must periodically check on the family.
-Rafe Spall (Prometheus) will star in Son of the South, a film produced by Spike Lee. The film is based on the autobiography of Bob Zellner, “The Wrong Side of Murder.” The autobiography tells the fascinating story of Zellner – a white author who grew up in Alabama as the son of a minister and grandson of a KKK member, and who later joined the Civil Rights Movement.
-Jackie Chan will produce and star in a new English language comedy. I’m ok with the announcement as long as it’s not called Rush Hour 4.
-And finally . . . The Photo of the Week . . . Vin Diesel has released another photo from the upcoming Riddick . . .
Sources :
Deadline
The Playlist
Variety
