Hayes joins ‘Stooges’: 20th Century Fox continues to fill out its cast for the Farrelly Brothers’ Three Stooges remake, with Sean Hayes (“Will and Grace”) entering the fold as Larry. Hayes joins Will Sasso (“$#*! My Dad Says”), who was cast as Curly last week. The casting of TV actors seems a bit odd, especially since names like Jim Carrey, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro were once attached to the project. It now looks like the Farrellys are finding actors who best fit the roles, rather than just gathering big names. I have to give them credit for that. Stay tuned, the third leg in the tripod (Moe) will likely be cast this week. [Variety]
“Hobbit” adds another: Bret McKenzie (“Flight of the Concords”) will play Lindir, an Elf of Rivendell, in The Hobbit. McKenzie actually appeared as an extra in the first and third Lord of the Rings films. McKenzie joins a cast that already includes Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, with Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Cate Blanchett reprising their roles from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The 14-month, two-film shoot kicked off on March 21. [Variety]
‘Rock’ lands its lead: The big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages has found its star in the form of Diego Gonzalez Boneta. The 20-year-old outlasted the hundreds of young men who auditioned for the part and has roles in Mean Girls 2 and “90210” to his credit. He’ll play Drew Boley, a 22-year-old who moves to Los Angeles with dreams of making it in the music industry before taking a job as a bus boy in the rock club The Bourbon Room, where much of the action takes place. He’ll co-star aklongside Julianne Hough, with Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand already in tow for supporting roles. [Deadline]
‘Bourne’ lead still undecided?: Even though Jeremy Renner has reportedly been offered the job to replace Matt Damon as the focal point of the next Bourne film, shortlist candidate Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans) insists he and three others — Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingsdom), Dominic Cooper (An Education) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) — are still very much in the running. So did Evans just miss the memo that the producers have already found their guy? Or are these four just back-up plans in case Renner doesn’t accept the offer? As previously reported, The Bourne Legacy will focus on a new character within the Bourne universe. Hopefully the coming days will provide some clarity on the situation. [The Playlist]
Warner Bros. picks up ‘Wild Guns’: The spec for Wild Guns, described as having shades of Tombstone and Sherlock Holmes, has been picked up by Warner Bros. The story is set shortly after the Civil War and follows Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as they team up to rescue the daughter of Sitting Bull, who was kidnapped by a powerful Shaman with mysterious powers. It’s just the latest step in the Hollywood Western renaissance following the overwhelming success of True Grit. Another Wyatt Earp project, The First Ride of Wyatt Earp, was announced a few weeks ago starring Val Kilmer as an aging Earp reflecting on the ride that made him a legend. [Heat Vision]
Red Sox owner feels ‘Lucky’: Marisa Tomei, Thomas Haden Church, Allison Janney and Alex Baldwin are among the names attached to the indie Lucky Them, which will be financed by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and wife Linda Pizzuti Henry. Huck Botko (The Virginity Hit) will direct and co-write the project, whoch centers on a rock-music journalist assigned to track down her ex-boyfriend. Lucky Them was the final producing project for the late Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward took the reins after his death. [Variety]
Nolan for ‘Blade Runner’ sequel?: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, but Rutger Hauer’s comments on the recently announced plans to sequelize and/or prequelize Blade Runner reveal he thinks Christopher Nolan is the only man for the job. “But otherwise you can’t do it,” he said. “Blade Runner is such a unique film. How do you describe a diamond? I don’t think you should ever touch it again.” [Hero Complex]
