Caffeinated Clint
1. “Weeds” actor Demian Bichir is to make his directorial debut on “Refugio”, which “tells the story of a young dreamer, born in the circus, who embarks on a search to find his long lost true love. An emotional journey from boyhood to manhood, from Mexico to the United States, the film is about hope, redemption and fate.”
2. Cinemax is making a series based on Max Allan Collins’ books “Quarry”, of which John Hillcoat (“Lawless”) will direct the pilot. “Quarry is set in the 1970s and centers on a Marine sniper who, upon his return home from Vietnam in 1973, finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. Combat-hardened and disillusioned, he’s recruited into a network of contract killers and corruption spanning the length of the Mississippi River.”
3. If ABC axes “Happy Endings”, the USA Network may pick up the sitcom.
4. “Justified” star Timothy Olyphant has joined the cast of Shawn Levy’s “This is Where I Leave You”. Ben Schwartz has also been cast. “In the adaptation of the Jonathan Tropper novel, Olyphant plays Horry, the next-door neighbor of Fey’s character, Wendy. They had been madly in love as teenagers only to see their life together shattered by a tragic accident. She is now married to someone else and he lives with his mother as a result of his brain injury. Schwartz plays the local rabbi who tries to act much cooler than his job title suggests.”
5. Liam Hemsworth is the favourite to star in the film version of the short “The Raven” for director Ricardo de Montreuil. A June production start is being eyed.
6. Bella Heathcote (“Dark Shadows”), Margot Robbie (“Pan Am”) and Lily James (“Downton Abbey”) are vying for the lead in Kenneth Branagh’s “Cinderella”. Cate Blanchett is already attached.
7. “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke will helm an adaptation of “The Age of Miracles”, “a suspenseful and romantic snapshot of one young girl’s adolescence, a poignant family drama, and a heartrending glimpse into the everyday tragedies and triumphs that define what it is to be human in a world that might just be ending.”
8. Nicholas Hoult (“Warm Bodies”) has joined the cast of “Dark Places”. He will play a character named Lyle.
9. Sam Shepard is to star in History’s “Klondike” mini-series.
10. The trailer for “Purge” starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey is online.
