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Casting Tidbits: The Descendants, Conan, The Ledge and More

by Ethan Anderton
March 14, 2010

Houston, we have Casting Tidbits. First up, THR reports Judy Greer (The Village), Beau Bridges (Max Payne), Matthew Lillard (Scream) and Robert Forster (Lucky Number Slevin) are joining the cast of Alexander Payne's The Descendants, the story of an indifferent husband and father (George Clooney) of two girls, who is forced to re-establish his relationship with his daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. Payne also wrote the script, adapted from the Kaui Hart Hemmings' novel of the same name, along with actors turned writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Shooting starts Monday in Hawaii.

Next, THR's Heat Vision reports Said Taghmaoui (G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, The Kite Runner) has joined the cast of Conan. The actor joins fellow G.I. Joe star Rachel Nichols as well as Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang and Ron Perlman (though Heat Vision says his supposed role as Conan's father in the film remains uncast) in the forthcoming Marcus Nispel directed rebirth of the original Robert E. Howard story series. Taghmaoui is playing a leader of thieves who is saved by Conan (Momoa) and later offers him aid.

Also, THR reports Christopher Gorham ("Ugly Betty," "Felicity") will join Charlie Hunnam, Terrence Howard, Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson in The Ledge, the debut of writer/director Mathew Chapman which focuses on a man (Hunnam) standing on a high-rise ledge who insists he will jump by noon as the cop below (Howard) tries to manage the situation. Gorham will play the distraught man's roommate, a television editor in a story that Chapman says, "examines the different and sometimes dangerous beliefs people adopt as a means of surviving emotional trauma."

Finally, Variety reports Forest Whitaker (Repo Men, Street Kings) is in talks to star in indie drama Little Treasure, the story of an American couple who returns to the wife's homeland of China focusing on the couple dealing with prejudices, humor, cultural differences and self-discovery while meeting a Shanghai street kid who changes their lives. Written by television writer Josh Goldstein, the film is set to be directed by Michael D. Olmos (Splinter).

That's it for this edition of Casting Tidbits! Stay tuned for even more casting news coming down the line!

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