Casting Tidbits: Freida Pinto, Donald Faison, Anjelica Huston
It was Casting Tidbits killed the beast. First up, Variety reports that the lovely Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) has signed on to star in War of the Gods, the Tarsem Singh directed story of young warrior Theseus (Henry Cavill) who leads his men into battle with the immortal Greek gods to defeat evil and the powerful elder gods of the Titans in order to save mankind. Pinto will play Phaedra, an oracle priestess who must join Theseus on his quest to prevent the cataclysmic war from erupting. The most recent draft of the script came from Jason Keller and it sounds like a potentially awesome project. Read on for more casting.
Second, Variety also reports Anjelica Huston (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) and Philip Baker Hall (Magnolia, Zodiac) will join Seth Rogen, James McAvoy, Anna Kendrick and Bryce Dallas Howard in the comedy formerly known as I’m With Cancer. This new but-still-unnamed title business is news to us, but the film is still the same Will Reiser story based on the writer’s real-life experience in his winning fight with cancer in his mid-20’s. Directed by Jonathan Levine, the script was on 2008’s Black List and is an emotional sort of comedy in the same vein as Funny People but without all the stand-up material.
Meanwhile, THR reports that the Farrelly Brothers comedy Hall Pass has added another acting duo to the mix with Nicky Whelan (NBC’s “Scrubs”) and Derek Waters (Funny or Die’s Drunk History). Whelan will play Leigh, who tempts Owen Wilson’s character after he’s given the “hall pass” for adultery by his wife while Waters will play Wannabe, a barista/DJ who becomes an obstacle to the pairing. Stephen Merchant (HBO’s “Extras”) and J.B. Smoove were also recently added to the mix as well, and this is shaping up to be a hopefully great return to quality comedy for the Farrelly’s who have struggled over the past decade to rekindle the comedic flame they once carried so well.
And finally, THR gets the last bit of casting news as they report Eric Balfour (Hell Ride) and Donald Faison (NBC”s “Scrubs”) will star in the sci-fi thriller Skyline from visual effects artists turned directors Greg and Colin Strause, who have previously worked on films like Avatar, 300, and Constantine. The story takes place in a Los Angeles high-rise focusing on a small group of survivors who brave a mysterious attack of otherworldly origins. Faison is playing an entrepreneur who lures his longtime friend (Balfour) to the West Coast. After a night of partying, both wake to find a strange force is swallowing humanity off the face of the earth. Filming is already underway, but no word on whether or not Frank Darabont will show up to tell everyone on set that they’re just remaking The Mist.
Well, that’s all for this edition of Casting Tidbits. Be sure to stay tuned for more casting updates on the way!
Discover More: Casting Tidbits, Movie News
