Casting Roundup : Russell, Adams, Dern, Forte, Brosnan, Pine

Australia’s Alex Russell (“Wasted on the Youth”, “Chronicle”) and Ansel Elgort have joined the cast of Kimberly Peirce’s remake. Russell is playing a bully, Elgort is playing the guy who takes the title character to the prom. (Variety)

“Muppets” siren Amy Adams is set to star in a film adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel for writer/director Gilles Paquet-Brenner. “Adams will play a woman who survived the brutal massacre of her family when she was seven-years old and testified against her own brother. Twenty-five years later, a secret society obsessed with crime-solving called the Kill Club brings her in for questioning to discover the truth of the horrific crime.” (THR)

Will Forte (“Saturday Night Live”) and former “Big Love” star Bruce Dern are doing Alexander Payne’s new movie. Flick tells of “an aging alcoholic who drafts his son to drive him from Montana to Nebraska so he can redeem his winning sweepstakes ticket. The son goes reluctantly, believing his dad’s winning ticket is actually a form letter.” Payne long wanted Gene Hackman for the role of the father, but the “Superman” actor opted to stay retired. (THR)

Chris Pine is doing the indy comedy about a group of friends in their early 30s, all in various stages of permanent adolescence. They get together with the aim of helping one of them grow up. The “Star Trek” star was one of the writers on the project and says, “I couldn’t be happier to begin the adventure of making Mantivities knowing how much fun we all had writing it. Somehow I get to laugh with my friends and call it work.” (Deadline)

“Mamma Mia!” co-stars Pierce Brosnan and Dominic Cooper will star in the espionage thriller from “No Way Out” director Roger Donaldson. The pic, produced by Brosnan’s Irish Dreamtime Productions, is based on the book “There Are No Spies”. (Deadline)