Ash
Natalie Portman, Nicholas Hoult and Thandie Newton have joined Kit Harington, Jessica Chastain, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Michael Gambon, Bella Thorne, Chris Zylka and Emily Hampshire in the ensemble cast of Xavier Dolan’s “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan”.
In “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan”, 10 years after the death of an American TV star he corresponded with as a teenager, a young actor recollects the pen-pal relationship he used to have with his past idol. The film explores the hardships of fame and hurdles of the movie business through the lives of both, now and then, and reflects on the issue of identity and diversity in Hollywood over the past decade.
Lupita Nyong’o is in talks to star in sci-fi thriller “Intelligent Life”.
Ava DuVernay is eyeing the directors role – an offer is expected to be made in the next 24 hours – with a script by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly.
Intelligent Life is a reworking of an earlier Trevorrow-Connolly project titled The Ambassador about a U.N. worker in a department that was created to represent humankind in the event of alien contact. The man falls in love with a mysterious woman who turns out to be an alien. The tone is said to be similar to Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed and takesThe Ambassador to a larger scale story. – via THR.
Nyong’o would play the woman at the center of the alien contact.
The first two members of Archie’s gang have arrived.
Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse will play Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones, respectively, in The CW’s “Riverdale” pilot.
TheWrap brings the news, describing the show as follows:
“Riverdale” is set in the present day and is based on the iconic Archie Comics characters. It is described as a surprising and subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends, exploring the surrealism of small town life — the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome façade.
Reinhart’s Betty is described as sweet, studious and eager-to-please. The wholesome Betty has a huge crush on her longtime best friend, Archie. Tired of being the perfect daughter, student, sister, etc., she turns to her new friend, Veronica, for life advice — much to the consternation of her emotionally brittle mother.
Sprouse’s Jughead is an emo heartthrob with a philosophical bent, and is the former best friend of Archie Andrews; he is still smarting from the rift that took place between the two.
Josh Gad will star in Paramount’s comedy “Heavy Duty”.
Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit are writing the script based on Gad’s idea about an ordinary guy who believes losing weight will help him live a more extraordinary life. He signs up for a wellness retreat with a group of fellow underachievers, only to face an unexpected test when things go awry.
Jackie Earle Haley will play the iconic comic book villain Odin Quincannon in AMC’s “Preacher” adaptation.
Haley will appear in six episodes of the show that is based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s 1990s comic series.
Preacher revolves around Rev. Jesse Custer (Agent Carter’s Dominic Cooper), a badass Texas preacher who, after losing his faith, learns that God has left heaven and forsaken his duties. Jesse becomes the only one who is able to track God down and hold him responsible for his abdication. Tulip O’Hare (breakout Ruth Negga), Jesse’s beer-guzzling vampire ex-girlfriend, accompanies him on his quest for answers. – via THR.
Anne Heche, Philip Baker Hall, Scott Speedman and Tom Everett Scott have joined Shirley MacLaine and Amanda Seyfried in the cast of “The Last Word”.
Mark Pellington is directing the film from a script by Stuart Ross Fink about a retired businesswoman (MacLaine) who writes her own obituary to ensure her life story is told her way.
