What is Casting Couch? It’s casting news. A bunch of it. All in one place. Today we’ve got the short list of young ladies who may be playing Cinderella in Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Disney film, among other things.
People seemed to love watching Brad Pitt don military garb and do a World War II movie for Quentin Tarantino, so it stands to reason they should be willing to line up to watch him go period again for David Ayer. According to Heat Vision, the director is looking to sign the star for his upcoming WWII-set project, Fury. If he becomes official, he’ll be taking the lead role of the film, which is an ensemble piece that will follow the 5-man crew of an American tank. More specifically, it follows the 5-man crew of an American tank in the waning days of the war, as they come across a battered and desperate division of German soldiers. Ayer wrote the film and sold it to QED on spec, which is going to start to look like a smart investment on their part if a star as recognizable as Pitt becomes official.
We’ve been hearing from the start that Anchorman 2 was going to feature cameo roles from a bevy of famous actors, which makes sense since the original did as well and at this point that film has become such a cult hit that it’s hard to imagine anyone turning down the opportunity to get their moment to shine as part of the franchise. THR now seems to have some concrete news as to who some of these cameos are going to be though. Not only are they reporting that the usually icy Nicole Kidman is going to show up and try her hand at comedy, but they’ve also got word that famous faces from the first film, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson, have also visited the set to shoot tiny roles. Does this mean we can expect another all-out anchorman gang brawl? And, if so, how are they going to top someone getting killed with a trident?
Dark Places seems to be moving full speed ahead with its casting process. Just yesterday we heard that it was looking to pick up Chloe Moretz, and today Deadline has a report that Warm Bodies star Nicholas Hoult has joined the film in the role of Lyle, the treasurer of the “Kill Club” who tries to convince Charlize Theron that her brother didn’t really slaughter their whole family twenty-five years earlier. The character is being described as being an “awkward young man,” which should be perfect for Hoult, because now that Jesse Eisenberg has gotten a little bit older, he seems to be the guy who casting people are increasingly going to in order to fill that niche. If he manages to stand toe-to-toe with an experienced hand like Theron and not look out of place, it should further cement his place as the new guy.
That Robert Downey Jr.-starring dramedy called The Judge has just added two more actors to its cast. Variety is reporting that Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester and Zero Dark Thirty actor Jeremy Strong are the latest names to add to a list that already includes talents like Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Bob Thornton, and Vera Farmiga. Reportedly Strong has landed the role of Downey’s younger brother, while Meester will be the daughter of Farmiga’s ex-girlfriend character. The Judge is one of those big city success has to go back to his home town stories—you know the kind—but this time around there’s a murderous twist.
Reese Witherspoon is finally getting some company on that movie about Sudanese refugees that she’s been attached to, The Good Lie. Deadline is reporting that Midnight in Paris’ Ernest Hemingway, Corey Stoll, and The Campaign’s Sarah Baker have both been added to the film, as well as Ugandan actor Brit Arnold Oceng, who has landed the lead role of the Sudanese boy who wins a lottery that allows him to relocate to the United States. Witherspoon, if you remember, is playing an American woman who’s assigned to help the boys, and Stoll, for his part, is said to be playing a character who runs a job placement service that they utilize. If that all sounds impossibly sugary, keep in mind that conflict comes in when the protagonist starts to feel guilt over the life he leaves behind.
Another project that boasts Stoll as part of its cast, This is Where I Leave You, seems to still be steadily adding names to its ensemble. The latest news, from THR, is that Chasing Mavericks and Oz the Great and Powerful actress Abigail Spencer has joined the film in the role of the Jason Bateman character’s wife—the wife who he finds out is sleeping with his boss. Ouch. That’s a lot to deal with. Especially at the same time as dealing with your dad’s death and being trapped in your family home with all of your estranged siblings. Sounds like this movie is going to be jam-packed with subplots, which should give Bateman plenty of opportunities to look put out.
Though Disney got bucked when Emma Watson turned down the lead role for their upcoming live-action Cinderella movie, they’re getting right back on that horse and trying to find someone to fill her glass slippers. Deadline reports that currently their search is focused on three actresses, Dark Shadows’ Bella Heathcoate, Downton Abbey’s Lily James, and Pan Am actress Margot Robbie. Of course, none of these ladies are as high-profile a name as Watson, but they’re all at least as lovely, so chances are Prince Charming (maybe Game of Thrones‘ Richard Madden?) will like them anyway. As always, the dutiful Cate Blanchett is still attached in the role of the wicked stepmother.