Casting Bits: Jamie Campbell Bower In ‘The Mortal Instruments;’ Dania Ramirez In ‘American Reunion;’ Jackson Rathbone In ‘Live At The Foxes Den’
After some dithering among several pretty young blond boy actors, Screen Gems and directorScott Stewart(Priest,Legion) have chosenJamie Campbell Bowerto play Jace Wayland in the adaptation ofCity of Bones,Cassandra Clare’s firstThe Mortal Instrumentsnovel. Alex Pettyfer was once in the running butbowed out. Jaime Campbell Bower almost certainly has to be a better choice, anyway, though I haven’t seen enough of his work to say that with certainty. (He had small parts inNew MoonandSweeney Todd, played Arthur inCamelot, and will be in Roland Emmerich’s upcomingAnonymous.)
The book starts off like so:When Clary Fray witnesses three tattoo-covered teenagers murder another teen, she is unable to prove the crime because the victim disappears right in front of her eyes, and no one else can see the killers. She learns that the teens are Shadowhunters (humans who hunt and kill demons), and Clary, a mundie (i.e., mundane human), should not be able to see them either. Shortly after this discovery, her mother, Jocelyn, an erstwhile Shadowhunter, is kidnapped.
Lily Collins, playing Clary, might be the determining factor with respect to the shoot schedule, as she is also set to be the lead in Tarsem’s Snow White film. That one has to shoot very soon, since it is set for a March 2012 release. So The Mortal Instruments will likely shoot later this summer or in early fall. [Deadline]
After the break, one more forAmerican Reunion, and another Twilighter, Jackson Rathbone, is cast in a legal drama.
It looks likeAmerican Reunionwill be the newHunger Games, with respect to the non-stop deluge of casting updates. We know that the entireAmerican Piecast is returning, and thatKatrina Bowdenhas a key role. NowDania Ramirez(fromHeroes) will be the love interest forEddie Kaye Thomas. In more detail, she’ll be “Trisha, the ugly duckling nobody noticed in high school who has since grown into a beautiful swan, much to Finch’s delight.”
Jon HurwitzandHayden Schlossbergwrote and are directing.Jason Biggs,Seann William Scott,Alyson Hannigan,Thomas Ian Nicholas,Chris Klein,Eugene Levy,Tara Reid,Jennifer Coolidge,Mena SuvariandShannon Elizabethmake up the big returning cast. [Variety]
Finally,Jackson RathbonefromTwilightandThe Last Airbenderhas joinedLive at the Foxes Den, an indie law tale from writer-directorMichael Kristoff. He plays “a miserable corporate lawyer who takes leave from his job when he stumbles into the nightlife of an old-school cocktail lounge called The Foxes Den, where he begins to sing. Ultimately, he is inspired to take up the causes of the regulars and staff by starting his own law firm to fight for the little guy.”
The rest of the cast includesJack Holmes,Janet Montgomery,Bob Gunton,Pooch HallandElliott Gould; the film is in production in LA now. [THR]
