The Casting Couch: November 1, 2006

Donald Sutherland has found some work in his post “Commander and Chief” campaign in Fool’s Gold for Warner Bros. and director Andy Tennant. The pic reunites Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson in a story revolving around a husband and wife who have spent eight years searching for a lost treasure and are on the brink of bankruptcy and divorce when a clue to the payday surfaces, forcing the couple to reunite to find their fortune. Sutherland will portray Nigel, a billionaire who invites the couple to join him on his boat in the hunt for the treasure. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Robert Schwentke is in final negotiations to direct The Time Traveler’s Wife for New Line Cinema. The love story is based on the Audrey Niffenegger book in which the man has a genetic disorder known as “chrono-impairment,” a condition that causes him to involuntarily travel through time. Jeremy Leven wrote the adaptation. No star is attached at this time. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Ben Kingsley is set to star opposite John Cusack, Hilary Duff, Joan Cusack and Marisa Tomei in the political satire Brand Hauser: Stuff Happens, which John Cusack wrote the screenplay with Jeremy Pikser and Mark Leyner. In the comedy Cusack plays an assassin assigned to kill a Middle East oil minister (Kingsley). His cover is that he’s producing a big trade show that includes a wedding between a local pop star and a politico, but complications ensue. The film is now shooting in Bulgaria under the direction of Joshua Seftel. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Ewan McGregor has signed on to star in the futuristic film Franklyn for first-time writer/director Gerald McMorrow. The pic is a split narrative set simultaneously in contemporary London and in a future metropolis ruled by religious fervor. It’s the story of four lost souls, divided by two parallel worlds, on course for an explosive collision when a single bullet will decide all their fates. Hanway Films will handle worldwide sales for the project, shooting next summer in the U.K. [Variety]

Dennis Quaid and Ziyi Zhang will star in The Horsemen for director Jonas Ã…kerlund based on the David Callaham script. In the pic Quaid will play a bitter detective grieving over his wife’s recent death. While investigating a case, he discovers a shocking connection between himself and the suspects in a serial killing spree linked to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. [Variety]

Movie News
Marvel and DC
X