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Casting Tidbits: Alex Pettyfer, Dakota Fanning, Zoe Saldana & More

by Ethan Anderton
May 13, 2011

Gozer the Gozerian… good evening. As a duly designated representative of the City, County and State of Casting Tidbits, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension. First up, we recently heard about Channing Tatum starring in Magic Mike, another film from Steven Soderbergh about the actor's teenage years spent as a male stripper. Now Deadline reports I Am Number Four star Alex Pettyfer will play the young version of Tatum, while Tatum himself will actually play the teen's mentor on and off the dance stage.

Second, Variety reports Dakota Fanning and Sundance starlet Elizabeth Olsen will star in the coming-of-age drama Very Good Girls. Written and director by Naomi Foner, the story follows two teen girls through the summer after they graduate from high school and decide to lose their virginity. When they both fall for the same charismatic street artist, their friendship is tested and they have to find their way through a tangle of lies to discover real love. Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek will also star in the film which is scheduled to shoot in September.

Next, by way of a Twitter update from producer Cassian Elwes, ComingSoon has learned that Zoe Saldana will join Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons in The Words. The film tells the story of a writer (Cooper) who discovers the price he must pay for stealing the work of another man (Irons). Meanwhile, THR has learned that Dennis Quaid will also star in the film as Clay Hammond, another celebrated writer in the story that will mark the directorial debut of Tron Legacy writers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal.

Also, Deadline reports Rob Lowe will star in Knife Fight, a film that deals with the dark side of political operatives. Though he's previously taken a role in the political world on Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing," this time Lowe will play a political crisis specialist who plays hard and tough in dealing with various October campaign surprises. Bill Guttentag (Soundtrack for a Revolution) will direct with an eye for release in October of 2012, just in time to hit before the Presidential Election.

In addition, Deadline reports Craig Bierko (Cinderella Man) has landed a role in Bobby and Peter Farrelly's big screen adaptation of The Three Stooges. The actor will play Mac, one of the heavies trying to exploit the Stooges. Bierko joins other actors like Larry David, Jane Lynch, Sofia Vergara and Stephen Collins who are surrounding Larry, Moe and Curly being played by Sean Hayes, Will Sasso and Chris Diamantopoulos respectively.

Also, Screen Daily reports Emile Hirsch and Penelope Cruz will star in Twice Born, a drama from Sergio Castellitto. Based the book Venuto al Mondo, the story follows a woman who returns to Sarajevo with her son in tow and revisits the tumultuous past she shared with his late father. The project is expected to begin shooting in September and is currently being shopped around Cannes.

Finally, Risky Biz reports Lynn Shelton, Jeff Garlin, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Kristen Bell, Jake Johnson, Jenica Bergere and Karan Soni will all star in a new comedy called Safety Not Guaranteed. Colin Trevorrow is making his directorial debut with a script from Derek Connolly which tells the a story inspired by real-life which focuses on three magazine employees sent to investigate a classified ad from a man seeking a partner for time travel. Production is currently underway, so we might see this film hit the festival circuit next year sometime.

That's all for this edition of Casting Tidbits. Be sure to stay tuned for even more casting news on the way.

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