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Welcome back to another edition of “This Week in Casting,” the column that gives you the rundown of who’s attached to the hottest upcoming projects in Hollywood. From big time players to fresh-faced rookies, we’ve got the week in review for you right here. This week, we’ve got casting news about Justin Timberlake, Emily Blunt, Gerard Butler, and many more. Get all the details below!
BIG NAMES
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Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake to star in Runner, Runner
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The movie: A thriller that takes place in the world of online gambling, written by guys who know that world better than most people – Brian Koppelman and David Levien, the dudes who wrote the classic Matt Damon poker movie, Rounders.
Other projects: Affleck is directing a CIA movie called Argo that’s coming out in October, and Timberlake will next be seen starring opposite Clint Eastwood in a baseball movie called Trouble With the Curve.
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Emily Blunt as Tom Cruise’s fellow soldier in All You Need Is Kill
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The movie: In this war-themed version of Groundhog Day, Tom Cruise’s character relives the day of his death on a futuristic battlefield over and over again, slowly learning more about becoming a better fighter. Blunt plays a fellow soldier in the trenches with him.
Other projects: She stars next week in the romantic comedy The Five Year Engagement opposite Jason Segel.
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Mark Wahlberg as the lead in Avon Man
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The movie: After a group of guys get laid off from a car dealership, Wahlberg’s salesman turns to selling makeup and becomes a top seller. He tries to get his unemployed buddies to do the same thing and win a regional contest to save their town.
Other projects: Next up, Wahlberg stars in Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane’s directorial debut, Ted, opposite Mila Kunis and MacFarlane playing a CGI bear.
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Vince Vaughn as the lead in The Rockford Files
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The movie: Based on the popular TV show from the 1970s, Vaughn will play a down-and-out private eye who prefers to get out of sticky situations using his charm and fast-talking skills rather than his gun.
Other projects: Vaughn has just signed on to star with Wedding Crashers co-star Owen Wilson in a comedy called Interns where they play two out-of-work guys who have to battle their way to the top of the corporate ladder from the ground up against a bunch of recent graduates.
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Gerard Butler as the lead in the action thriller Manhunt
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The movie: When a terrorist and survivalist runs loose in the North Carolina wilderness, the FBI enlists the help of a begrudging bear hunter (Butler) to track down their most wanted man.
Other projects: He’ll star in a comedy called Playing The Field out this Christmas, in which he plays a former pro athlete who coaches his kid’s soccer team and scores his own goals with the hot soccer moms.
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Octavia Spencer and Michael B. Jordan as mother and son in Fruitvale
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The movie: Based on a real life event, the movie follows Grant, a young black man who was detained by police in 2009 and killed. His death was captured on cell phone cameras and caused riots and protests. Jordan would play Grant, and recent Oscar-winner Spencer would play his overprotective mother.
Other projects: Jordan has a TV movie called County coming out soon, and Spencer will appear in Juno writer Diablo Cody’s directorial debut.
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LESSER KNOWNS
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Clark Duke as an Eagle Scout in The Identity Thief
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The movie: Jason Bateman plays a man who has his identity stolen by Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), and Duke plays an Eagle Scout looking to get revenge on someone who stole his identity as well.
Where you might have seen him: He starred on the ABC Family television series Greek and has appeared in movies like Kick-Ass and Sex Drive.
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James Van Der Beek and Gattlin Griffith as supporting roles in Jason Reitman’s Labor Day
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The movie: A depressed mom (Kate Winslet) gives an escaped convict (Josh Brolin) a ride in her car, and as their relationship evolves, the action is seen through the eyes of her son (Griffith). Van Der Beek will play a police officer investigating a missing person’s case.
Where you might have seen them: Van Der Beek played Dawson on Dawson’s Creek and can now be seen playing a fictionalized version of himself in Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23, while Griffith starred as a young Ryan Reynolds in last year’s Green Lantern.
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Ralph Macchio as Joe Stefano in Hitchcock
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The movie: Anthony Hopkins plays famous director Alfred Hitchcock in this story that details the director’s relationship with his wife during the making of one of the most famous horror movies of all time, Psycho. Macchio plays the guy who wrote Psycho, and the movie co-stars Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel.
Where you might have seen him: As the original Karate Kid long before Jaden was kickin’ it with Jackie Chan.
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Roger Bart as a supporting player in USA’s new show Political Animals
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The show: Sigourney Weaver stars as a former Presidential candidate who is now the Secretary of State as she tries to keep her broken family together. Bart will play the new President’s Chief of Staff, who loves making Sigourney’s life miserable.
Where you might have seen him: In bit parts through a bunch of different TV series over the years, but you may recognize him as Mason Treadwell on one episode of Revenge earlier this year or from Desperate Housewives.
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Zachary Gordon to star in an untitled pilot for ABC
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The show: A high powered female executive faces her biggest challenge when she finds herself unemployed and raising her two kids as a full-time mom. Gordon plays one of her sons.
Where you might have seen him: He’s the star of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise.
