Getty Images
.
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 Zachary Levi, Colin Farrell, Abbie Cornish, and many more. Get all the details below!
.
BIG NAMES
.
Jonah Hill joins ensemble cast of Tarantino’s Django Unchained
Getty Images
The movie: Originally eyed for a part in QT’s spaghetti western, Hill couldn’t join because of scheduling issues. Now, though, a different role has become available and he’s able to fit it into his schedule, joining an eclectic cast for one of the year’s most hotly-anticipated movies. No one is certain what role he’ll play as of right now, but we do know he’s signed on.
Other projects: Hill will star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio (again!) in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming The Wolf of Wall Street, a story of a New York stockbroker who gets caught up in a lifestyle of greed and excess.
.
Zachary Levi joins the cast of Thor 2
Getty Images
The movie: This sequel will continue the adventures of Chris Hemsworth as the Norse god and Avenger, battling interdimensional beings and hanging out on Asgard. Levi was slated to play Fandral the Dashing in the original movie, but when “Chuck” got renewed, the timing didn’t work out. But it’s all good – Levi will be now playing that character, who is a warrior friend of Thor’s, in the sequel.
Other projects: He’s got a TV movie coming up called Let It Go, and that’s it. Here’s hoping this Thor 2 gig plays out for him.
.
Portia de Rossi to play Lily Munster in Mockingbird Lane
Getty Images
The show: The show is a reboot of the classic 1960s show, a satire of old monster movies and the traditional family sitcoms that were happening at the time. It’s a sitcom about a family of monsters and their one “normal” cousin (Charity Wakefield). The “Arrested Development” star will play Lily, a vampire who is the family matriarch.
Other projects: She’ll be reprising her role as Lindsay Bluth Funke in the renewed “Arrested Development” for Netflix. (Hooray!)
.
Adam Levine joins Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo in Can A Song Save Your Life
Getty Images
The movie: Levine and Knightley play lovers who move to NYC to hit it big in the music biz, only Levine decides to dump Knightley after he scores a solo career singing. She sings in local dive bar, and is discovered by a down-and-out record producer (Mark Ruffalo).
Other projects: Levine stars on “The Voice” and will appear in “American Horror Story,” Knightley stars opposite Steve Carell in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and Ruffalo is going to star in an awesome-sounding magician film called Now You See Me that opens in March of 2013.
.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is in talks for Catching Fire
Getty Images
The movie: The sequel to The Hunger Games picks up where the first film left off, continuing the exploits of Katniss Everdeen and her love triangle between Peeta and Gale. Seymour Hoffman has been offered the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Head Gamemaker in the world of Panem. No word yet on whether he’s accepted the role, but it sounds like it would be a great fit.
Other projects: After some great work in last year’s The Ides of March and Moneyball, he’ll appear in Paul Thomas Anderson’s new Scientology-inspired movie The Master which comes out later this year.
.
Colin Farrell joins Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks
Getty Images
The movie: A live-action Disney film in which Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney and Emma Thompson plays British author P.L. Travers, the writer of “Mary Poppins.” Disney tried for years to convince her to sell him the rights to the book so he could make the classic movie that we now all know and love, and Farrell will play Thompson’s father, the inspiration for the Mr. Banks father figure we remember from the film. It’s unclear if they’re going to use makeup or digital effects to implement aging.
Other projects: Farrell also stars in this summer’s Total Recall and an excellent-sounding movie called Seven Psychopaths set for release later this fall.
.
RISING STARS
.
Abbie Cornish starring in remake of RoboCop
Getty Images
The movie: A reboot/remake of the 1980s cult classic, the story follows a cop named Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) as he’s brutally gunned down by a vicious gang, only to be brought back to life as a cyborg who fights crime. Cornish will play Murphy’s wife, who believes her husband died in the shooting.
Where you might have seen her: She starred opposite Bradley Cooper in Limitless, and also played Sweet Pea in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch.
.
Ashley Tisdale cast in guest spot on Sons of Anarchy
Getty Images
The show: Kurt Sutter’s motorcycle drama has developed a cult following thanks to its realistic and violent stories, and Tisdale will play a high-priced hooker who shakes up the club during the early episodes of the show’s fifth season.
Where you might have seen her: Starring in the High School Musical films for Disney.
.
Kenny Wormald starring in Kid Cannabis
Getty Images
The movie: No, it’s not a weed-smoking superhero. The film follows two friends (Wormald and Project X star Jonathan Daniel Brown) as a couple of bored Idaho suburbanites who eventually decide to run dope across the Canadian border in order to shake up their lives a little bit.
Where you might have seen him: Wormald made a splash in Hollywood by playing Kevin Bacon’s role in last year’s remake of Footloose.
.
