Casting Bits: Jay Baruchel In ‘The Rebel Kind’, Saoirse Ronan In ‘How I Live Now’, Kaya Scodelario In ‘Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes’
Jay Baruchelhas built a nice career playing lovable nerds, but for his newest role he’ll be transforming himself into a full-on rock star. The formerUndeclaredactor has signed on to star inThe Rebel Kind, based on a memoir byJohn Armstrong. As frontman of The Modernettes, Armstrong — or “Buck Cherry,” as he was called then — was at the heart of the rising Vancouver punk scene in the ’80s.Reg Harkema(Monkey Warfare) has written the script and is set to direct, withPatrick Carroll,Andria Spring, andKevin Eastwoodproducing.The Rebel Kindwill shoot next fall in Vancouver. Baruchel will next star in the hockey comedyGoon, which he wrote with Evan Goldberg. [Variety]
After the jump,Atonementactress Saoirse Ronan revisits World War II — this time as a New Yorker — andSkinsstar Kaya Scodelario steps in for Rooney Mara.
Ronan, who last starred in this year’sHanna, will next appear in the teen assassin flickViolet & Daisy. In addition, she’s currently shooting Neil Jordan’sByzantiumand was recently cast as the lead in Andrew Niccol’s Stephenie Meyer adaptationThe Host. [Variety]
SkinsstarKaya Scodelariohas signed on toreplaceRooney MarainEmanuel and the Truth About Fishes, fromTanner Hallco-directorFrancesca Gregorini. The script, also by Gregorini, revolves around a troubled young woman named Emanuel who babysits for her for her mysterious new neighbor — only the child in question isn’t an actual baby, but a lifelike doll. Emanuel plays along and befriends the neighbor anyway, perhaps because the woman happens to look eerily like Emanuel’s dead mother.
Scodelario recently wrappedNow Is Goodwith Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine. She currently stars in Andrea Arnold’sWuthering Heights, which premiered this fall in Venice and will hit Sundance next month. [Variety]
