David Tennant And Christopher Mintz-Plasse Join Fright Night

If you're a fan of the original Fright Night, the headline alone is probably enough to clue you in on which actor is playing what role in the remake to be directed by Craig Gillespie. David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are now part of the film, and will play the sort-of mentor to and best friend of Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin), who runs into trouble when a vampire (Colin Farrell) moves in next door.

THR reports that David Tennant will be Peter Vincent, a famed master of illusion and TV/stage magician. He's Charley's hero, of sorts, and the kid turns to him when he needs help with the vampire. Tennant will be a much younger version of the Peter Vincent character than the one played by Roddy McDowall in the original film, but that's fine. He's just about perfect for the role.

Seriously, I love this casting; when I talked about Fright Night a couple days ago another editor and I talked about how this version of Peter Vincent could be played by Russell Brand, which would be a mistake. Tennant is the opposite of that, and should be great fun in the role.

And while I'm not as much a fan of Mintz-Plasse, I can see how he'd be good as Evil Ed, Charley's best friend who has his own problems when the vampire comes to town. Hopefully this won't turn out to be a bad omen for Mintz-Plasse, either. The actor who played Evil Ed in the original, Stephen Geoffreys, had a solid career in the '80s, and then spent part of the '90s acting in gay porn.

Now the last major role to cast is Amy, Charley's girlfriend, who was played by Amanda Bearse in the original.

For more detail on the characters as they appear in this version of the story, I'll go to the casting breakdowns that Moviehole ran back in May. There are potential spoilers in here, so skip this stuff if you'd rather wait to learn details about the movie.

Evil Ed – 'Evil Ed' is an emo.... or a comic-book loving punk. 'Ed' believes he and Charlie's pal Adam has gone missing. Adam, you see, hasn't been answering his text messages because he and his family have been slaughtered by vampires. Even when Ed discovers the truth, that vampires killed Adam and his family, nobody – not even Charlie, who suggests his friend has been watching too much "Twilight" – believes him. Ed is ultimately turned by the vampire 'Jerry' into a black-eyed, sharp toothed monster (not even Peter's "crucification nails" are a match for him).

Peter Vincent – TVs 'Master of Illusion'. Really knows his vampires – has had a history with them. Huge fan base. Lives in a Penthouse. Has an assistant, Arthur. When Ed infiltrates his home, he and Charlie are forced to hide out in the 'Panic Room'. Serves as somewhat of a Yoda-figure to Charlie – especially near the pictures' end, when Charlie needs to save Peter.