What is Casting Couch? It’s all part of a very simple process. Movie execs do the casting, the trades get the casting announcements, and then we put all of the news in one handy place. Today trios of big actors have been added to both Kung-Fu Panda 3 and Beware the Night.
Jim Carrey’s casting in the upcoming comedy Ricky Stanicky has been a long time coming. According to Deadline, he’s been looking at this Black List script about a group of friends who have blamed everything they do wrong on a made up acquaintance named “Ricky Stanicky” their entire lives for about a year, and only just recently has decided to sign on to star. The deciding factor seems to be the fact that Steve Oedekerk has also come on board the project to direct, and Carrey already has experience working with him on Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Remember, Oedekerk directed that scene where Carrey was birthed from a rhino’s ass? Classic. It looks like we can begin readying ourselves for some more high concept comedy.
Liam Neeson
Highwaymen, a movie about the Texas Rangers who hunted and killed famed bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, has seemed to have found its funding. That’s exciting news and all, especially for people who like stories about cops and robbers, but the truly kick-ass aspect of this movie coming together is the news regarding who’s being looked at to star. According to Deadline, the film’s new director, John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), is looking to bring Liam Neeson and Woody Harrelson on board as his posse-leading tough guys. Seeing as Neeson and Harrelson are basically two of the manliest men in the acting game, that’s got to be seen as good news to people who like manly movies.
Julian Sands
Another name has joined Cheyenne Jackson, Gena Rowlands, and Jacki Weaver in Arthur Allan Seidelman’s adaptation of the Richard Alfieri play Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. If you remember from the last time we talked about this one, the basic premise here is that Jackson is playing a dance instructor who gives lessons to Florida retirees, and Variety is reporting that British actor and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star Julian Sands has come on board to play the guy who owns the dance studio where all this takes place. That’s not it for new faces either. According to the writeup, shooting on the film began in Budapest on Monday, and names like Rita Moreno, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Anthony Zerbe, and Simon Miller all showed up ready to act. Sounds like this is the last we’ll be hearing about this one, casting-wise.
Rebel Wilson
The voice cast of Kung-Fu Panda 3 already boasts A-list talent like Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and Seth Rogen, but Heat Vision is reporting that three more big name actors have also just signed up to get their share of all that sweet, sweet animation money. Said names are Bryan Cranston, Mads Mikkelsen, and Rebel Wilson. Voice acting is nothing new for Cranston and Wilson, who have been in a Madagascar and an Ice Age movie respectively, but this will serve as Mikkelsen’s first experience when it comes to lending his voice to a talking animal. They must not have movies where animated animals who sound like famous celebrities act wacky while obnoxious pop music blares in the background over in Denmark. Poor souls.
Eric Bana
The Exorcism of Emily Rose team of director Scott Derrickson and his writing partner Paul Boardman have been hard at work putting together another supernatural thriller. The film is called Beware the Night, and it’s about a Catholic cop who ends up teaming with a renegade priest who’s convinced that the case he’s working has something to do with demons. The casting news here, according to Deadline, is that Eric Bana has been brought on board to play the cop, Édgar Ramírez is signed up to play the role of the priest, and Olivia Munn will be appearing as the Bana character’s wife, who is said to also have ties to the case. Possibly demonic ties? Could this finally be our chance to watch Munn puke up pea soup and sully a crucifix? Thank God, the wait on that one has been killer.