Casting Roundup: More Sci-Fi for Blomkamp & Copley; Johnny Depp, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Foxx, and More
Director Neill Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copley are going for the sci-fi hat trick. The duo that brought us District 9 and the upcoming Elysium will reunite for Blomkamp’s next film, Chappie. Copley will play the title character, though details on the plot of the film – which Blomkamp describes as a “science-fiction comedy” in “an unusual setting” – are still under wraps. Copley made a big splash in his feature film debut in District 9, and Elysium – also starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster – opens this August. Copley is also part of the upcoming sci-fi thriller Europa Report and Disney’s Malificent. [EW]
Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep are in talks to star in an adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical, Into the Woods, for Disney. The story centers on a baker and his wife who attempt to confront a witch who placed a curse on them. On their journey, they encounter a variety of fairy tale characters including Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. Depp would play the baker and Streep, the wicked witch. Rob Marshall (Chicago; Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) is directing. [Variety]
Jamie Foxx is in talks to star opposite Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis in an adaptation of Annie being produced by the likes of Will Smith and Jay-Z. Apparently hinting at a bit of a different flavor from previous adaptations of the comic strip and hit musical, the new version will be directed by Will Gluck (Easy A). [Heat Vision]
Oblivion‘s Olga Kurylenko will star as headmistress Kirova in Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters, based on the young adult novel series by Richelle Mead. Zoey Deutch (Beautiful Creatures) and Australian newcomer Lucy Fry will play the lead characters who attend a special school for vampires attempting to retain some semblance of humanity. [Deadline]
Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman will star in a big-screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s MacBeth. This updated version is set in 11th-century Scotland, and will be filmed in the original language. It’s also shaping up to be a bit more “epic”, with significant battle sequences. Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) is directing. Fassbender and Portman recently wrapped production on Terrence Malick‘s next, untitled film, opposite Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale. [ScreenDaily]
An adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has been on- and off-again since 2009, with rumored stars including Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Anne Hathaway, and a revolving door of directors. Well, Portman and her fellow producers are setting up the project again, to be financed by Panorama Pictures. Lily Collins is set to star with Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down) directing. Collins will next appear in this summer’s Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. [THR]
Daniel Radcliffe will star in Tokyo Vice, based on the memoirs of Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who covered the notorious yakuza mafia in Japan. Adelstein himself has been working closely with the screenwriters, and approves of Radcliffe’s casting. The film will be the feature debut of veteran commercial and music video director Anthony Mandler. [THR]