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Casting Tidbits: Simon Pegg, Demi Moore and Linda Cardellini

by Ethan Anderton
June 21, 2010

I have so much strength in me you have no idea. I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine. I would say 'that's that', Mattress Man. First, starting as a rumor at TrekWeb followed by confirmation via Twitter, Simon Pegg himself revealed that he's the new voice behind the brave pint-sized mouse warrior Reepicheep in The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which just unveiled its first trailer last week. Pegg is actually replacing Bill Nighy who was announced as a replacement for Eddie Izzard (who voiced the character in Prince Capsian) in some news we missed back in February.

Second, Variety reports Linda Cardellini, Michael Shannon and Tim Blake Nelson will star in the indie drama Return, a feature from Meredith Viera's brand new film production company. Liza Johnson will be making a directorial debut working from her own script which tells the story of a woman (Cardellini) who returns home from war to her husband (Shannon) and kids in a small town and struggles to readjust. Nelson will play an older war vet who befriends the female soldier. It kinds sounds like this movie should have come out with all the other Iraq War films a couple years ago.

In addition, Deadline reports Bruce Dern, seen most recently in the series "Big Love" has signed for a role in a big screen adaptation of The Big Valley, the western 1960's television series of the same name which followed a family of ranchers nack in 19th century California. Dern joins a recently cast Stephen Moyer along with Jessica Lange and Travis Fimmell when the film starts shooting next month. It's unclear what role Dern has been set to play in the adaptation.

Also, Deadline reports Disney has lined up 10 young actors and actresses for the ensemble cast of Prom, a high school comedy which the studio hopes will serve as a launch for a new franchise much like High School Musical. Apparently the movie is said to be similar in tone to John Hughes' Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink, but that just might give this young cast and director Joe Nussbaum (Sydney White, George Lucas in Love) a little too much to live up to. Here's the line-up (of mostly unknowns): Thomas McDonell (The Forbidden Kingdom), Aimee Teegarden (Friday Night Lights), Danielle Campbell, Nolan Sotillo, Yin Chang ("Gossip Girl"), Jared Kusnitz ("Surviving Suburbia"), Nicholas Braun ("10 Things I Hate About You"), Ben Esler ("The Pacific"), Kylie Bunbury and DeVaughn Nixon ("Sonny with a Chance").

Next, Deadline reports Demi Moore joins an already impressive cast for the ensemble corporate thriller Margin Call, story about eight people at a prominent investment bank in a tumultuous 24-hour period during the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis as the characters struggle to position themselves ahead of the coming storm. Moore will play the chief risk management officer at a firm. The cast already includes Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Carla Gugino and Stanley Tucci in a film that will mark the feature directorial debut of J.C. Chandor who also wrote the script.

In addition Deadline reports Walton Goggins (Predators) has landed a role in Cowboys & Aliens. The actor is no stranger to the western genre having just recently made waves in the FX series "Justified" so he should feel right at home. Of course, this western gets thrown into the world of sci-fi as the comic book adaptation is set in mid-1800s In Silver City, Arizona, where Apache Indians and Western settlers must put their differences aside when a spaceship crash lands in their city. For a more lengthy plot synopsis check out our previous update on the flick which boasts an impressive cast including Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano and Clancy Brown.

Finally, THR reports Michael Shannon and Jamie Chung have joined the cast of the thriller Premium Rush starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a New York bike messenger who picks up an envelope at Columbia University, and suddenly finds himself chased throughout the city by a dirty cop desperate to get his hands on it. Shannon will be playing the corrupt cop in pursuit while Chung will play Gordon-Levitt's ex-girlfriend, a fellow daredevil bike messenger who helps him outwit the cop. David Koepp, who is also directing, wrote the script with John Kamps.

Well, that's all for this edition of Casting Tidbits. Be sure to stay tuned for more casting updates on the way.

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