After finally pulling together financing for his English-language debut, the wild-sounding sci-fi drama The Lobster, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, Alps) is going through a casting shake-up before it heads into production. According to THR, Colin Farrell has now stepped in for Jason Clarke, who presumably has to do some prep work for the next Terminator film. He’ll be joined by the newly added Rachel Weisz, as well as the previous ensemble of Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux, Olivia Colman, Ariane Labed and Aggeliki Papoulia. The story is set in a dystopian future where humans must find a mate or they’ll be turned into an animal. Production begins at the end of March for a hopeful Cannes 2015 premiere.
Next up is casting for another highly-anticipated project, Todd Haynes‘ Carol, which already has Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in lead roles. According to Deadline, Kyle Chandler, coming off his FBI role in The Wolf of Wall Street, has jumped aboard the period piece. Produced by The Weinstein Company, the 1950’s, NYC-set film follows a romantic relationship between the two leading ladies, while Chandler figures in as Blanchett’s jealous husband. Production begins next month for a likely 2015 release.
In additional casting, a reteam after last year’s Sundance drama Kill Your Darlings is in store for the creative team. The Wrap reports that Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan are in talks to collaborate once again with director John Krokidas on College Republicans. Coming from Wes Jones, who earned a spot high on the Black List for his script, the story follows the duo as Lee Atwater (Radcliffe) and Karl Rove (DeHaan), as the latter runs a dirty campaign in 1973. Originally set to star Shia LaBeouf and Paul Dano, this new iteration, described as a buddy comedy, could kick off production by the fall.
Next up we have news on a Martin Scorsese-produced project, which has just set Aaron Eckhart and Miles Teller as leads. Titled Bleed for This, the adaptation of the true story is from writer-director Ben Younger (Boiler Room) and follows the life of boxer Vinny Panzienza (Teller). He quickly shot to stardom when he dominated undefeated champion Gilbert Dele, but near-fatal automobile accident left him with the news that he would never walk again. Eckhart would play trainer Kevin Rooner who helped him get back into the ring. With the man who gave us Raging Bull helping out and the talented Teller attached, hopes are high for this one.
Last and certainly least is news on Fox’s needless sequel to Hitman, Agent 47. Once set to star Paul Walker, following the actor’s tragic passing, Rupert Friend has stepped in to fill his shoes. Now, Deadline reports that Zachary Quinto is joining the Aleksander Bach-helmed project, which will kick off production next month. Considering Skip Woods, the screenwriter behind A Good Day to Die Hard and X-Men Origins: Wolverine had a hand in this one, be sure to count us out.
Which of the above films are you most looking forward to?