SkimIt
Jena Malone On Board for Catching Fire
We reported on Jena Malone inching past other actresses last week for the part of Johanna Mason in the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, and now we can officially say that she will share the screen with Jennifer Lawrence next year. Was the awfulness of Sucker Punch enough to convince us that Malone can deliver the action goods? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
TV Casting News
Terry Crews Enters The Newsroom
Ex-NFL player and Are We There Yet? star Terry Crews will appear in a recurring role on Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama The Newsroom, playing Will McAvoy's (Jeff Daniels) bodyguard. Crews' resume is full of brainless flicks that don't necessarily bode well for him nailing Sorkin's signature rhythm, but let's give the guy the benefit of the doubt.
Lost Star Re-Teams with J.J. Abrams
J.J. Abrams is not one to abandon his actors, and Lost alumnus Elizabeth Mitchell will join his latest television effort, Revolution, in a recurring role. The series, premiering Sept. 17 on NBC, follows a group struggling to survive after all forms of power have disappeared, and Mitchell will appear in flashbacks as the mother of the two leads. Also joining the cast is Friday Night Lights vet Daniella Alonso. The Office May Hire Clark Duke
Up-and-coming funnyman Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine, Greek) might be joining the dopes at Dunder Mifflin for The Office's ninth season. This is all well and good, but on top of the news that Rainn Wilson may be heading for his own spin-off and B.J. Novak won't be returning, I have only one thing to say: just end it already!
The Avengers Star Joins Doctor Who
No, not the Avengers you're thinking of. Dame Diana Rigg, star of the '60s spy series The Avengers, will join in on the long-running sci-fi hijinks of Doctor Who next season. The British thespian will play the single-episode role of a mother who, along with her daughter (played by Rigg's real-life daughter Rachael Stirling), carries a mysterious backstory.
Movie Casting News
Stephen King Adaptation Gains Justin Long
Justin Long (Drag Me to Hell, Live Free or Die Hard) seems to pick and choose his projects wisely, and the young actor is in talks to lead the latest Stephen King adaptation, The Ten O'Clock People. If cast, Long will star as Brandon Pearson, who tries to quit smoking only to discover that abandoning nicotine causes him to see politicians for what they truly are: fiendish monsters. This one could either succeed in an "out there" way, or fail entirely. If Long decides to hop on, at least they'll have one heck of a leading man.
Sarandon Goes to Hell & Back
At last, what we've been needing all along: an R-rated stop-motion comedy! Playing Barb the Angel, Susan Sarandon has been added to the cast of Hell & Back, a raunchy animated comedy starring T.J. Miller and Nick Swardson as two friends searching for their missing friend who hasn't been lost in Las Vegas, but dragged all the way down to Hell. Jennifer Coolidge and Mila Kunis co-star in this sure-to-be-hilarious romp from ShadowMachine, the animation company behind Robot Chicken.
Moyer Loses Fangs for Devil's Knot
True Blood's Stephen Moyer hasn't enjoyed the most success on the big screen, but hopefully his luck will turn around in Devil's Knot playing the leading role of John Fogleman, a lawyer who allegedly caused false murder accusations of three teens in the '90s. Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon also star in this bleak drama from Atom Egoyan that is guaranteed to be one doozy of a downer.
Celebrate Mother's Day with Sharon Stone
The massive and high-profile cast of Mother's Day is slowly but surely taking shape. Sharon Stone is the latest addition, alongside Andie MacDowell, Susan Sarandon and Christina Ricci. With a plot following a whopping 12 mothers and daughters, who else should we expect to see partnered with her real-life daughter? We've got five bucks on Meryl Streep.
