Casting Bits: Adrianne Palicki In 'Coffee Town', Rob Corddry In 'Pain And Gain', Dwight Yoakam Out Of 'Lone Ranger'

As a Friday Night Lights fan, I want nothing more than to see its stars succeed in their post-FNL careers. And some have, but others, like Adrianne Palicki, have been less fortunate. Her TV series Lone Star was cancelled after a mere two episodes, and Wonder Woman never even got picked up. Here's hoping she has more luck on the big screen — Palicki recently wrapped this summer's G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and she'll appear in this fall's Red Dawn remake.

Now she's gearing up to switch genres, as she lands a role alongside Glenn Howerton, Ben Schwartz, Steve Little, and Josh Groban in Coffee Town. The comedy, which marks CollegeHumor's first foray into feature filmmaking, revolves around a website manager (Howerton) who uses a local coffeeshop as his makeshift office. He and his friends must band together when their freeloading way of life is threatened. Palicki will play Becca, a nurse and cafe customer who's the object of Howerton's affections. Production begins next week in Los Angeles. [Variety]

After the jump, Rob Corddry could be a bodybuilder-turned-accountant/notary-turned-gym-owner for Michael Bay, and Lone Ranger loses a star.

Based on true events, Pain and Gain revolves around a circle of Miami bodybuilders who kidnap and plot to kill a wealthy businessman. Corddry would play John Mese, a former bodybuilder, accountant, and notary who now owns the gym where Wahlberg's character works. Thanks to his skills, he unwittingly gets wrapped up in Wahlberg's crazy scheme. Ed Harris will also star, as a private investigator hired to track down the perpetrators.

Corddry may not be as big a name as some of his Pain and Gain co-stars, but he's got a busy slate ahead of him. His films this year include Butter, Warm Bodies, and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.

The Lone Ranger has managed to hang onto quite an impressive cast through months of budgetary woes. But now that stars Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Helena Bonham Carter, and Tom Wilkinson are saddling up for the film's impending start, one of its baddies has dropped out. Dwight Yoakam has reportedly left the project due to a scheduling conflict. Yoakam was lined up for the role of "Butch Cavendish, leader of the Cavendish gang and the pic's primary villain." [Deadline]