Casting Call

It would seem that casting news for Young Adult Hollywood revolves around just a few hot and very in-demand names, and what a busy bunch they are! But because things change in showbiz faster than you can say ‘What’s on TV tonight?‘, the names on that list are changing all the time. So to that end, we here at YA Mag will undertake the hefty task of keeping you up to date each month on who’s playing what, who’s not, and who should. The roles and stars everyone can’t stop talking about are all here…

 

We are dominated by TV news this month! Without further ado, Rosie O’Donnell will have a recurring role on ABC Family’s THE FOSTERS for the upcoming season. She will play a character named Rita Hendricks, a tough-love member of the foster-care system. O’Donnell, a star of A League of Their Own has recently had appearances on Web Therapy and Bomb Girls.

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Three (count ‘em!) updates for Season 2 of Arrow: Heroes’ mysterious ‘Haitian’ Jimmy Jean-Louis will have a multi-episode arc on the upcoming season of ARROW. He will play a character named The Captain, but little more is known. Sounds like the Haitian! Additionally, a new face has been added to the cast. Cynthia Addai-Robinson has taken on the role of A.R.G.U.S. agent and Suicide Squad leader Amanda Waller. Addai-Robinson most recently appeared in Star Trek Into Darkness and Columbiana. Finally, it is now confirmed that Grant Gustin, most recognized for his role as malevolent Sebastian Smythe on Glee, will take on the role of Flash (Barry Allen) on CW’s Arrow. Flash, who boasts the power of super-speed, will appear in a three-episode arc in Arrow’s upcoming season.

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Downtown Abbey star Dan Stevens has nabbed a series regular role on CW’s TOMORROW PEOPLE. The series is a reboot of the original 70′s show, which follows the exploits of gifted people fighting the forces of evil in the future. Stevens will be starring opposite Robbie Amell, Luke Mitchell, Peyton List and Aaron Yoo as the voice of biological computer TIM.

Grey’s Anatomy star Justin Bruening has jumped aboard ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff RAVENSWOOD, which follows five strangers drawn together by the curse placed on their home town not far from Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Bruening will appear as local teacher Benjamin Price in the October 22nd premiere. Bruening is best known for his role on ABC’s soap opera All My Children.

Alexandra Metz will appear on the Vampire Diaries spinoff THE ORIGINALS. She will play Katie, a beautiful witch with a hidden agenda. Metz has had roles on Gossip Girl, Chicago Fire and The Good Wife.

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And now, onto film casting news, shall we!? Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje, villain of the upcoming Thor: The Dark World has joined Will Gluck’s re-imagining of ANNIE. Agbaje will play Nash, the friendly bodyguard to Jamie Foxx’s character Stacks, who adopts Annie. Quvenzhané Wallis stars in the lead role with Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale also starring.

Source: Deadline

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Variety reports that The Disappearance Of Alice Creed director, J Blakeson, is currently in talks to direct the sci-fi film The 5th Wave. The flick follows the story of a young girl on a journey to find her brother following an alien invasion. The Graham King- and Tobey Maguire-produced film is adapted from the Rick Yancey novel of the same name. Yeah. You read right. Spidey Maguire.

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Gossip Girl Leighton Meester has just been added to the cast of Like Sunday, Like Rain. The film will tell the story of a struggling musician (Meester) who finds herself becoming the legal guardian of a 12-year-old boy who happens to be a musical prodigy.  Debra Messing (Smash) will play the prodigy’s mother, while Billie Joe Armstrong will play Meester’s boyfriend.

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Our very own Juliet Hailee Steinfeld has landed the role of Vince Vaughn’s estranged daughter in the upcoming Universal film Term Life. This film adaptation of the graphic novel created by A.J. Lieberman and Nick Thornborrow looks like it could be quite the interesting opportunity for the 16-year-old actress. The film will follow Nick Barrow (Vaughn), a man who spends his days planning and selling heists to the person willing to spend the most money. When a job takes a turn for the worst, Barrow finds himself in a situation where everyone he knows is after him. Here is where Steinfeld’s character comes into play. The genius he is, Barrow decides the best thing to do in this situation is to take out a life insurance policy on himself, naming his estranged daughter as the beneficiary. This doesn’t go as well as he planned, as he learns the policy won’t be implicated for 21 days. He is then forced to go on a run with his daughter who he knows little about. Intense. Funny. Standard Vince Vaughn funny guy role. Are you sold? We are. Aside from this month’s exceedingly lavish Romeo & Juliet, Steinfeld will also appear in the upcoming sci-fi opus Enders Game.

[Via Tracking Board & Variety]

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And Meryl Streep’s next costar will be…Taylor Swift?? Jeff Bridges will co-produce and star in the film adaptation of Lois Lowry’s exceedingly popular YA sci-fi dystopia The Giver, which is developing quite the cast: Streep as the villainous ‘Chief Elder’, Bridges, Brenton Thwaites (also slated as Prince Phillip opposite Angelina Jolie in Disney’s Maleficent) as the ‘Receiver of Memories’, and Katie Holmes, recently secured to play Thwaites’ character’s mother. Let’s see if Swift can hold her own opposite Queen Streep!

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Let’s finish up the news with some highly anticipated Hunger Games news! The sequel Mockingjay is still making waves: after Julianne Moore was cast, we were convinced there would be no surprises, but it looks like the joke is on us because Tony Award winner Patina Miller has joined the cast of the film as well! Pippin’s Leading Player will share the big screen with returning actors Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth, playing Commander Paylor. Mockingjay is Miller’s film debut. Congratulations are also in order for Lily Rabe who just joined the cast of the two-part finale. She will play past victor Commander Lym, who helps lead the District 2 rebellion. With a script by Danny Strong and direction by Francis Lawrence, Mockingjay is creating intense buzz ahead of the release of part 2 of the franchise, Catching Fire, out this fall.

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