The American Film Market takes place next week and ahead of the event, numerous film sales agents and companies have announced new casting for plenty of film projects in development or in production.
With so much casting news in the past 48 hours or so, it has proven easier to offer this big bumper update today. There may be some more in the coming days as AFM runs through next Friday:
The Black Demon
Josh Lucas will star in the giant shark thriller “The Black Demon” about a man and his family who become trapped on an oil rig while a megalodon circles in the waters below.
Adrian Grunberg (‘Rambo: Last Blood”) directs and Boise Esquerra (“Blackwater”) pens the film which will shoot in December on location in the Dominican Republic.
Blood Mother
Felicity Jones (“Rogue One”) is set to star in and produce “Blood Mother” for New Regency. Kelly Marcel and Steve Zissis will produce with Zissis writing.
The story follows an Oxford professor who discovers her baby is inhuman and finds herself doing the unimaginable to keep him alive.
Abandoned
Emma Roberts, Michael Shannon and John Gallagher Jr. will star in Spencer Squire’s thriller directorial debut “Abandoned” which recently wrapped filming for Vertical Entertainment and Three Point Capital.
Squire, Jessica Scott and Erik Patterson penned the film about a couple and their infant son who move into a remote farmhouse with a tragic history. As that history comes to light, the mother starts to fall into a dangerous psychosis.
Executioner
Boyd Holbrook (“Logan”) is set to star in the true-crime drama series “Executioner” for Legendary Television which deals with the relationship between novelist Norman Mailer and killer Jack Henry Abbott (Holbrook). Anthony Tambakis (“Warrior”) pens and Andew Levitas (“Minamata”) directs.
Set in 1981, Mailer helped get Abbott paroled from prison, leading to Abbott killing again weeks later followed by a nationwide manhunt, and the trial of the century in New York.
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone
Kirby Howell-Baptiste (“Hacks,” “Killing Eve”) will play a teacher in Netflix’s film adaptation of the Stephen King short story “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” at Blumhouse and Ryan Murphy Productions. Jaeden Martell, Donald Sutherland and Joe Tippett also star with filming now underway.
John Lee Hancock (“The Little Things,” “The Founder”) pens and directs the film about a young man who befriends an older, reclusive billionaire who passes away. Shortly after, the young man finds himself able to communicate with his friend from the grave through the iPhone that was buried with him.
Last Train to Christmas
Cary Elwes will star opposite Michael Sheen and Nathalie Emmanuel in Julian Kemp’s Sky Original film “Last Train to Christmas” which will be released on December 18th.
Sheen plays a mid-80s successful nightclub manager whose train trip for a Christmas family reunion takes a strange turn. Elwes plays Sheen’s brother who lives in his shadow and whose resentment is boiling over.
Tomb Raider
Allen Maldonado (“The Last O.G.”) is set to play tech expert Zip while Earl Baylon (“Tomb Raider” 2018) will reprise the role of fisherman Jonah Maiava in the upcoming “Tomb Raider” anime series for Netflix.
Hayley Atwell will play the voice of Lara Croft. The story will follow the adventurer and archaeologist who uncovers ancient tomb secrets along with mysteries of her past.
Midas Man
Bill Milner (“X-Men: First Class”) has joined the Brian Epstein biopic “Midas Man” as Clive Epstein, Brian’s brother who assumed control of Brian’s music store business.
Filming is underway in Liverpool on the movie about the visionary music manager who discovered the Beatles. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (“The Queen’s Gambit”) plays Brian in the Jonas Akerlund-directed feature.
On Fire
Peter Facinelli has signed on to star in the survival drama “On Fire” by writer/director Nick Lyon. Facinelli will play Dave Laughlin, a humble man who must do everything he can to protect his family who live in a Northern California trailer home which is suddenly confronted by a wildfire. Filming is underway in Austin, Texas.
Nehama
Martin Lawrence has signed on to star in the English-language adaptation of Israeli original series “Nehama” at Topic Studios. Lawrence plays a happily married father of five who quits his suffocating job in tech to chase his original love of stand-up comedy. When his wife suddenly dies, he must decide whether he should pursue his dream and risk losing his kids.
Wanted Man
Dolph Lundgren is set to direct, co-write and star in action feature “Wanted Man” at Millennium Media with filming to begin in February. When a cartel shooting leaves several DEA agents dead, an ageing police officer must retrieve an eyewitness and escort her across the border.
A Good Person
Chinaza Uche (“Dickinson”) will join Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, Zoe Lister-Jones, Molly Shannon, and Celeste O’Connor in the Zach Braff-directed “A Good Person” at MGM.
Currently in production, the film follows Allison (Pugh), whose life falls apart following her involvement in a fatal accident. In the ensuing years, it is the unlikely relationship she forms with her would-be father-in-law (Freeman) that helps her inevitably live a life worth living.
Boy Kills World
Isaiah Mustafa (“IT: Chapter Two”) will join Bill Skarsgard, Samara Weaving, and Yayan Ruhian in the South Africa-shot action feature “Boy Kills World”. Moritz Mohrhelms while Sam Raimi produces.
When a deaf-mute with a vibrant imagination finds his family murdered, he escapes to the jungle and is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death.
Grimsburg
Jon Hamm will voice the lead character Marvin Flute in the new FOX animated comedy series “Grimsburg” which will debut in 2023. Catlan McClelland and Matthew Schlissel serve as the writers while Chadd Gindin is showrunner.
The story follows the greatest detective ever who still can’t solve his family life. Now that he’s back in the titular town where everyone has a secret or three, Flute will follow every lead he’s got to redeem himself with the ex-wife he never stopped loving.
Encanto
Alan Tudyk will be voicing Pico the Toucan in the upcoming Jarod Bush-directed Disney animated film “Encanto”. Pico is the lovable animal sidekick to main character Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz). “Encanto” hits theaters November 24th and will be coming exclusively to Disney+ on Christmas Eve.
Source: Screen, Deadline, THR, Variety
