We can all agree that Lindsay Lohan is in dire need of a comeback, and this might just do it -- well, it'll certainly help: Deadline reports that the 25-year-old starlet is in talks to play screen icon Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime's biographical romance Elizabeth & Richard: A Love Story. The pic will chronicle the legendary relationship between Taylor and Richard Burton; no word yet on who'll play Dick to Lohan's Liz, which means it's a perfect time to play a round of Fantasy Casting!
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Happy Friday! As if heading into the weekend wasn't already wonderful enough, here comes a casting move that oughta keep you tickled for days: According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Franco is in talks to star in Brian Koppelman and David Levien's The Game, adapted from Neil Strauss's dating how-to bestseller, in the role of famed, instantly unforgettable pick-up master Mystery. Hollywood can pretty much drop the mic as Friday closes out, because no other casting move this week can possibly top this.
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Here’s cause for excitement for J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek sequel, set to debut May 2013: British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on to join returning cast members Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Co. Better news: He’s reportedly playing the villain. If your first thought is “Benewhat Cumberwho?” see why you should take this as very good news after the jump.
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Sam Raimi's Evil Dead reboot, which begins filming in New Zealand this spring, has found a new star to fill the shoes of original Ash Bruce Campbell, so to speak: 22-year-old British-born actress Lily Collins, who'll next be seen playing Snow White to Julia Roberts' evil queen in Tarsem's fairytale adaptation Mirror Mirror. Let that sink in, Evil Deadites... deep breaths... now hit the jump for more details.
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I can kind of see a resemblance between Demi Moore and feminist activist/journalist Gloria Steinem, whom the former Mrs. Kutcher has been tapped to play in Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's Lovelace. But at this point the porn biopic -- the one starring Amanda Seyfried as Deep Throat star Linda Lovelace, to feature a cameo by James Franco as Hugh Hefner -- feels like it's turning into a bizarrely distracting hit parade-sideshow of stars/names playing real life Lovelace acquaintances. (Further evidence, just announced over the wires: Eric Roberts as... lie detector test administrator Nat Laurendi! For reals.)
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Exciting news for fans of Orson Scott Card's sci-fi series Ender's Game: Harrison Ford has officially joined the cast as Hyrum Graff, the manipulative colonel responsible for training students in a futuristic military academy called Battle School.
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Glee has scored another Oscar-winning guest star. Nearly eight months after Gwyneth Paltrow's last episode, the Fox musical series has cast Helen Mirren in a role that was written explicitly for the British actress.
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Here's one way to deflect attention from NYU GradeGate: Variety reports that James Franco is in talks to play Playboy impresario Hugh Hefner in Lovelace, the porn biopic starring Amanda Seyfried as the titular XXX actress Linda Lovelace, of Deep Throat fame. Unfortunately -- or fortunately? -- Franco's role would be limited to a one-day cameo, which sounds like something along the lines of his blink-and-you'll-miss-it Green Hornet appearance. The film is currently shooting in Los Angeles. [Variety]
Crank your man crush meters to 11: Brad Pitt is said to be set to produce and co-star with Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor in Twelve Years a Slave, according to a Playlist report (plucked from Screen Daily and verified by Pitt's production company, Plan B). The period drama is based on the life of Solomon Northup, an educated black man who was tricked into slavery in the 1850s and marks Fassbender's third collaboration with director Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame). [The Playlist]
Today's mind-blowing, near-unexplainable but still awesome casting news: Werner Herzog, German filmmaker, roadside angel, and the man François Truffaut once called "the most important film director alive," has been cast opposite Tom Cruise in One Shot, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie's adaptation of Lee Childs' Jack Reacher novel. Details after the jump.
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Looks like Quentin Tarantino's reaching into his own well to fill the shoes of his Django Unchained baddie. The Wrap reports that none other than Kurt Russell, who played Tarantino's Death Proof villain Stuntman Mike, is negotiating to replace Kevin Costner as Ace Woody, a plantation henchman who works for Leonardo DiCaprio's big bad. Battling against Kurt 'n' Leo will be Jamie Foxx as the titular slave-turned-bounty hunter and his German mentor Christoph Waltz (who recently injured himself training on horseback for the role). This Django's turning into quite the QT party! [The Wrap]
Footloose remake co-star and Dancing with the Stars ingénue Julianne Hough has landed the lead in Diablo Cody's newly untitled feature directorial debut about a conservative young woman who regains her faith after heading to Sin City. And who will play the wild and crazy figure that helps her on her debauched path to redemption? None other than Russell Brand. Perfect casting, no?
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Looks like Spike Lee got his rumored dream star for the Oldboy film he's helming: Deadline reports that Josh Brolin will lead the English-language remake of Park Chan-wook's 2003 thriller about a man held prisoner for 15 years who sets out for revenge upon release. With Brolin onboard, will Christian Bale sign on next as his mysterious foil? (And how faithful will Lee's remake be to the brutality of the original?)
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And now for some comedy casting news this lazy Tuesday afternoon: Jonah Hill has officially signed on to star in Neighborhood Watch alongside Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller. Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer will direct the Fox feature which centers on a group of bored fathers who form a suburban neighborhood watch group as an excuse to spend time away from their families. Hill can be seen next in Moneyball opposite Brad Pitt and in David Gordon Green's R-Rated babysitting adventure The Sitter. [Deadline]
Sure, we've already gotten a sneak peak of what Bradley Cooper could look like as the devil in Paradise Lost, but that doesn't mean Legendary Pictures is done casting their adaptation of the John Milton novel. Just today, Oscar-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou joined the Alex Proyas-directed production as Abdiel, the angel of death. If Paradise Lost still needs an archangel of divine street fights, may we suggest Ryan Gosling? [Variety]
