Casting Notes: Chris Evans In Puncture; Julianne Moore And Kristen Stewart In Backwoods; David Oyelowo Is MLK In Selma
Just in caseChris Evansdoesn’t get the role of Captain America, he’s lined up another gig that he can shoot right now. He’s taken the lead role inPuncture, an indie drama about “a troubled young attorney who must come to terms with his own demons when taking on a healthcare giant.“Adam and Mark Kassenare directing; the script is byChris Lopta. They’ve also gotVinessa Shaw,Brett Cullen,Jesse L. Martin,Michael Biehn(Biehn!),Kate Burton,Tess ParkerandMarshall Bellappearing; Mark Kassen will take a role, too. Further trade comments suggest Evans plays “a drug-addicted lawyer who sues a healthcare company.”
Recent comments make Evans sound like a longshot for Captain America (no surprise, given his role in the sorta-parallelFantastic Fourfilms) and while I’d love to see him as Cap, hopefully this will give him a chance to flex some more dedicated dramatic muscle. [Variety]
After the break, Lee Daniels finds his MLK, and Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart face the end of the world.
Julianne Moore’s husbandBart Freundlichwill direct Moore andKristen StewartinBackwoods, which is said to be about “the end of the world.” That’s literally all we’ve got. Freundlich previously directed Kristen Stewart inCatch That Kid. [Roger Friedman]
Finally, while Dreamworks is taking the slow road to producing a biopic of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,PreciousdirectorLee Danielsisn’t sleeping onSelma, which dramatizes the relationship between King and President Lyndon B Johnson in 1963. He’s just castDavid Oyelowoas Dr. King. The British actor leads the cast in the LucasFilm pictureRed Tails, but this will definitely be a big, high-profile step up.
Interestingly,Reuterspointledly notes that the role of Alamaba governor George Wallace is yet to be cast. That role presumably belonged toRobert De Niro; Daniels had even confirmed the casting to Movieline not long ago.
