Posted on Monday, August 8th, 2011 by Angie Han
Another week, another Bryan Cranston casting story. The Breaking Bad star was recently forced to drop out of Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad due to scheduling conflicts, but don’t think that’s slowed his meteoric rise any. The actor is currently in negotiations to join World War Z, Marc Forster‘s adaptation of Max Brooks‘ acclaimed novel.
Subtitled An Oral History of the Zombie War, the book takes place in an apocalyptic future in which mankind is fighting back against the zombie threat. The film will star Mireille Enos and James Badge Dale, along with Brad Pitt as United Nations employee Gerry Lane. Read on after the jump.
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After seeming like it would succumb to the depths of development hell, a film based on the Max Brooks novel World War Z is finally shooting with Brad Pitt in the lead. Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, Monster’s Ball) is directing the movie right now, and the first photos of Brad Pitt in costume have been shot as the movie is in Malta, shooting scenes that take place in Israel. Check a few out after the break. Read More »
The question here might be: did World War Z lose the two actors, or did it never quite have them? It’s a distinction that can be difficult to make when news of an actor being in talks to a role turns into an assumption that they have it. So, Matthew Fox and Ed Harris were both recently reported as likely additions to Marc Forster‘s adaptation of the Max Brooks zombie apocalypse novel World War Z. But now they’ll evidently not take their respective roles, after all, leaving those positions open and in a hurry to be recast. Read More »
As the Marc Forster-directed adaptation of Max Brooks‘ novel World War Z gears up to shoot, one might marvel at the fact that the film will exist at all. It was on the brink of being scrapped for months, but then came back from the dead with a new financing plan. And just in time for Paramount, since it is looking like there is no way that the Star Trek sequel will hit in time for summer 2012.
Brad Pitt, against all odds, remains set to play the lead role of a UN researcher investigating a zombie outbreak. James Badge Dale was recently cast as Captain Spake, and Mirielle Enos will play the wife of Brad Pitt’s character. Now Matthew Fox and Ed Harris are on board, too. Read More »
Posted on Monday, June 13th, 2011 by Angie Han
After being stuck in development for years, World War Z found a new life this past spring when additional financing saved the project from being shut down altogether. Since then, the project’s been fast-tracked — likely in order to beat the deadline before Paramount’s short, expensive option runs out. Based on the bestselling novel by Max Brooks, Marc Forster‘s film will star Brad Pitt (who’s also producing), James Badge Dale, Anthony Mackie and Mireille Enos. Production begins this month, but it sounds as though a large chunk of the film will be shot in Glasgow this August. More details after the jump.
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Ben Affleck bailed on acting in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby in order to direct his third film, a picture called Argo. (Good choice!) The film is from a Chris Terrio script that follows a true-life story about a CIA effort to pull diplomats out of Tehran in 1979. The hook: they use a plan that has them posing as a Hollywood studio crew making a sci-fi film called Argo. (Much more background detail is here.)
The first piece of casting (other than Ben Affleck, who is taking a role) is now out: Alan Arkin will play Lester Siegel, the OSS agent turned film producer who is key to the plan. The role is described as “equal parts bookie and rabbi,” in which case Alan Arkin is perfect. But then, when is he not close to perfect? George Clooney and Grant Heslov are producing the film, and if that conjures up images of the tone of Men Who Stare At Goats — another partially true military/political tale — then you’re probably thinking along the right track. Only, let’s hope, better. [Variety]
After the break, World War Z and the G.I. Joe sequel get new cast additions. Read More »
Total Recall isn’t the only big time genre movie that’s locking down its cast and getting read to call “Action.” Reports are coming in that World War Z, the long gestating zombie apocalypse movie, based on the Max Brooks best-seller, directed by Marc Forster and starring Brad Pitt, will start shooting in June. Also R.I.P.D., Red director Robert Schwentke‘s adaptation of the Dark Horse comic about dead detectives starring Ryan Reynolds, is aiming for a September start date with Jeff Bridges now officially a member of the cast. Read more about both films after the jump. Read More »
The indie drama Gimme Shelter will go into production at the end of this month in Connecticut, and it has Brendan Fraser set to star, with Vanessa Hudgens now likely appearing as well. Ron Krauss wrote and will direct; the film follows a pregnant homeless girl (Hudgens’ role) who “flees her abusive mother and seeks out her biological father. He first takes her in but then throws her out when she refuses to abort her child.”
The dad is Brendan Fraser, and it sounds like the sort of not so massively sympathetic role that he doesn’t often play. So that could be interesting. As a side note, I understand why the film is titled as it is, but at this point it is really time to leave certain Rolling Stones songs alone, and ‘Gimme Shelter’ is one of them. [THR]
After the break, Seth MacFarlane’s Ted gets one more, and Anthony Mackie might be in line for a couple big films. Read More »
