1.) Having already set Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) to play Mary-Jane Watson, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 helmer Marc Webb has now turned his attention to finding a young actor to play Harry Osborn. The character was played by James Franco in Sam Raimi‘s trilogy of Spider-Man films, and now three candidates have emerged: Alden Ehrenreich, Brady Corbet and Dane DeHaan.
Ehrenreich has starred in Tetro and Twixt for Francis Ford Coppola and will soon be seen in Stoker and Beautiful Creatures. Corbet’s credits include Melancholia and Martha Marcy May Marlene. DeHaan is probably the most recognizable of the three after a big 2012 that had him starring in Chronicle and Lawless, as well as appearing in Lincoln‘s cringe-worthy opening scene. The part originally called for an actor with a bigger, more athletic build, but has since morphed into a more of a “dark and edgy” role. Anyone have a horse in this race? [THR]
2.) Evan Rachel Wood will star in the confusingly titled 10 Things I Hate About Life, a romantic comedy from 10 Things I Hate About You writer/director Gil Junger that is actually NOT a sequel. Instead, it’s about a young man and woman who meet while each is attempting suicide, and they find in each other some great reasons to continue living. [Deadline]
3.) Meanwhile, Michael Bay is set to begin testing a whole slew of young actors and actresses to star with Mark Wahlberg in Transformers 4. The film’s leading lady would play the daughter of Wahlberg’s character, and those up for the role include Isabelle Cornish (Abbie Cornish’s little sister), Nicola Peltz (The Last Airbender), Margaret Quallay (Andie MacDowell’s daughter) and Gabriella Wilde (no relation to Olivia). I believe Wilde’s role in The Three Musketeers makes her the only candidate whose work I’ve actually seen. And as unremarkable as that movie was, she’s definitely “thin” and “pretty.” That’s the main criteria for starring in a Transformers movie anyway, right?
As for the boys, that list includes Luke Grimes (Taken 2), Landon Liboiron (“Terra Nova”), Brenton Thwaites (Blue Lagoon: The Awakening), Hunter Parrish (“Weeds”) and Jack Reynor. Whoever gets the role would play the race car driving boyfriend of the female lead. Paramount is looking to sign their stars to three picture deals. [THR]
4.) The aforementioned Brenton Thwaites and Jack Reynor are also up for the male lead opposite Shailene Woodley in Divergent, the young adult adaptation Summit hopes will become the next Hunger Games. They’re up against Lucas Till, who played Havok in X-Men: First Class, and Luke Bracey (Monte Carlo). Neil Burger (Limitless) directs the dystopian tale for a March 2014 release. [Deadline]
5.) Josh Gad, who usually pops up as the “comic relief best friend” in movies like 21 and Love and Other Drugs, will write Triplets with Ryan Dixon. The sequel to Twins, the 1988 comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as unlikely brothers, will add another sibling in the form of Eddie Murphy. [Deadline]
BONUS: Since we already have Eddie Murphy on our minds, I suppose I should mention that Brandon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder) is taking over for Murphy in a TV reboot of Beverly Hills Cop. The series, which has a pilot commitment from CBS, will focus on Jackson as the son of Murphy’s Axel Foley character as he tries to escape the shadow of his legendary father. “The Shield” creator Shawn Ryan will serve as showrunner, and Murphy will reprise his role as Axel in the pilot. [Deadline]
