Casting Notes: Russell Brand Coaches Soccer; New Films For Jeffrey Dean Morgan And Taylor Lautner
I seem to be one of the few who didn’t think that yesterday’sGet Him to the Greektrailerwas the funniest thing since ‘Man Getting Hit in the Groin by Football,’ but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a soft spot forRussell Brand. AfterForgetting Sarah Marshall, how could you not? So I’m happy to see that Warner Bros. has pieced up a pitch byWilliam and Scott Bindleythat may well star Brand as a David Beckham-type soccer star who ends up coaching a high school soccer team in West Texas.
Having gone to high school in Midland, one of the very “Friday Night Lightstowns” referenced in the source article, I like this idea a lot. If the comedy can get the regional stuff down, something the featureFriday Night Lightsmore or less managed, this could be a great little comedy. [DHD]
After the break, Jeffrey Dean Morgan works with theSolomon Kanedirector, and Taylor Lautner gets yet another bloody movie.
Jeffrey Dean Morganhas signed to star inUnblinking Eye, which will be directed bySolomon KanehelmerMichael Bassett. The director also wrote the script. Morgan will play homicide detective John Callisto, “now a retired recluse after being nearly murdered by a serial killer, [who] is tracked down by a relentless journalist. As the two confront each other, dark secrets from both their pasts come to light.” Morgan was one of the best parts ofWatchmenand looks like the highlight ofThe Losers, so bring this one on. [THR]
Finally,Taylor Lautnerhas yet another film in development. It would be aBourne-styled action film calledAbduction, about “a teen who has long felt disconnected from his parents, and figures out why. That unleashes a chain of violent events.”
Two studios are reportedly bidding on the film. The kid cannot be stopped. As I’ve asked before, shouldn’t we see if he can really float a non-Twilightmovie before locking him to star in ten others? Oh, what do I care? It’s not my money behind these pictures. [DHD]
