YA CASTING ROUNDUP


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 ‘Want to play a game of Quidditch?’ 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 week on who’s playing what, who’s not, and who should. The roles and stars everyone can’t stop talking about are all here…


Josh Wiggins imageFirst off, some news about one of our favorite standout stars from this year’s Sundance Film Festival: Hellion actor Josh Wiggins has landed the lead in Max, a family adventure film about a service dog returning from Afghanistan.


How to Train Your Dragon star T.J. Miller has become part of Disney’s Big Hero 6, which marks the studio’s first foray into Marvel territory. This comic centers on a young robotics genius named Hiro Hanada, who creates his own superhero team in an effort to fight back against a supervillain. The voice actor will also be seen in this summer’s Transformers: Age of Extinction.

LEFT TO RIGHT: T.J. MILLER CAST IN DISNEY’S UPCOMING MARVEL ADAPTATION “BIG HERO 6” AND “TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION”

Sam and Cat posterIn a bit of anti-casting news, Nickelodeon was touched by a little bit of scandal recently when they moved to cancel (sorry, not renew) the new hit Sam and Cat. Everyone has been at a loss as to why they would do this, when the series (about two girlfriends who start a babysitting service) has enjoyed such success. Most point to the leak of some illicit pictures of star Jennette McCurdy (who is 21 and appeared in some bikini bottoms).


IN DEVELOPMENT

And for those exciting new projects announced that don’t yet have stars attached, you heard it here first! Find out about new YA-interest films and TV shows below!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them coverAs the entire world knows by now, JK Rowling’s prequel to the world of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, will be turned into a film. But we now know that the work will be the source of three films, which the author herself plans to write. Seems like they want to follow the model of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit…and make as much money as possible.

Rayman: Raving Rabbids coverSony Pictures is going retro, bringing together the worlds of 80s video games, computer animation and live action in a bevy of new projects. In addition to the highly anticipated (and very cool sounding) Pixels, which starts filming in May with Adam Sandler, Josh Gad and Michelle Monaghan, The Raving Rabids is the next project on their docket to be getting big budget treatment. These crazy cartoon rabbits first appeared as characters in the Rayman videogames, but were so popular they inspired their own series of games. Lets see how they fare with their own film!

Eleanor and Park coverLast but certainly not least, gifted writer Rainbow Rowell (of the excellent Fangirl) will have her charming teenage love story Eleanor & Park turned into a film. The story, about an everyday girl who falls in love a video game-obsessed Korean-American named Park, was optioned by Dreamworks, and represents the rare YA novel not featuring a supernatural or dystopian element to be turned into a movie.

 

 

 

ya-casting-roundup

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 ‘Want to play a game of Quidditch?’ 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 week on who’s playing what, who’s not, and who should. The roles and stars everyone can’t stop talking about are all here…


Josh Wiggins imageFirst off, some news about one of our favorite standout stars from this year’s Sundance Film Festival: Hellion actor Josh Wiggins has landed the lead in Max, a family adventure film about a service dog returning from Afghanistan.


How to Train Your Dragon star T.J. Miller has become part of Disney’s Big Hero 6, which marks the studio’s first foray into Marvel territory. This comic centers on a young robotics genius named Hiro Hanada, who creates his own superhero team in an effort to fight back against a supervillain. The voice actor will also be seen in this summer’s Transformers: Age of Extinction.

LEFT TO RIGHT: T.J. MILLER CAST IN DISNEY’S UPCOMING MARVEL ADAPTATION “BIG HERO 6” AND “TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION”

Sam and Cat posterIn a bit of anti-casting news, Nickelodeon was touched by a little bit of scandal recently when they moved to cancel (sorry, not renew) the new hit Sam and Cat. Everyone has been at a loss as to why they would do this, when the series (about two girlfriends who start a babysitting service) has enjoyed such success. Most point to the leak of some illicit pictures of star Jennette McCurdy (who is 21 and appeared in some bikini bottoms).


IN DEVELOPMENT

And for those exciting new projects announced that don’t yet have stars attached, you heard it here first! Find out about new YA-interest films and TV shows below!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them coverAs the entire world knows by now, JK Rowling’s prequel to the world of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, will be turned into a film. But we now know that the work will be the source of three films, which the author herself plans to write. Seems like they want to follow the model of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit…and make as much money as possible.

Rayman: Raving Rabbids coverSony Pictures is going retro, bringing together the worlds of 80s video games, computer animation and live action in a bevy of new projects. In addition to the highly anticipated (and very cool sounding) Pixels, which starts filming in May with Adam Sandler, Josh Gad and Michelle Monaghan, The Raving Rabids is the next project on their docket to be getting big budget treatment. These crazy cartoon rabbits first appeared as characters in the Rayman videogames, but were so popular they inspired their own series of games. Lets see how they fare with their own film!

Eleanor and Park coverLast but certainly not least, gifted writer Rainbow Rowell (of the excellent Fangirl) will have her charming teenage love story Eleanor & Park turned into a film. The story, about an everyday girl who falls in love a video game-obsessed Korean-American named Park, was optioned by Dreamworks, and represents the rare YA novel not featuring a supernatural or dystopian element to be turned into a movie.

 

 

 

YA Casting Roundup


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 ‘Once upon a time…’, 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…

Let’s get right to one of the most talked-about returns coming to television this fall—namely, Glee and how they plan on handling the bitter absence of their very own Finn (aka Cory Monteith, RIP). After a rather standard brief promo clip out last week, it’s been revealed that two hot young songsters, specifically Adam Lambert and Demi Lovato, will be guesting on the show this season, Lambert in a yet-to-be-announced villainous role of some sort. Thanks to a quickly deleted tweet (thanks, Adam!), we also know that the two will be dueting in at least one song together!

 Glee Casting CallIn other TV news, Once Upon A Time will be going underwater this season with Royal Pains’ JoAnna Garcia playing none other than Ariel, The Little Mermaid! Producers promise a characteristic twist to the beloved Disney character, who will most probably not be all that she seems.

Once Upon a Time image
Newcomer Chris Wood will be enjoying plum roles on two popular TV series in the coming months – first on The Carrie Diaries as a playwright who piques Carrie’s (AnnaSophia Robb) professional and personal interest (you better hang on to your hat, Sebastian!) and then on HBO’s Girls next spring as Paul, a snooty ‘pretty boy’.

Chris Wood image
Rounding out TV news is the casting of Luke Benward, Henry Simmons, and Sophia Brown in the upcoming supernatural spinoff to Pretty Little Liars, Ravenswood.

Ravenswood image
For those True Blood fans out there, we have an announcement for cutie shapeshifter Sam Trammell – he’s been cast as father to Shailene Woodley’s terminally ill lead character in the film adaptation of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars! Who seems more buyable as Shailene’s dad? Sam or George Clooney (The Descendants)?

Les Miserables’ beautiful Eponine, Samantha Barks, has been tapped for the new Dracula, which looks to be a reinvention of the classic tale mixed with the true history of Prince Vlad ‘The Impaler’…lets see how much more vampire fare Hollywood can ram down our throats in this endless trend!

Speaking of vampires, the little-known (not!) Vanessa Hudgens is currently filming The Kitchen Sink, which looks to cash in on practically every hot trend going on out there: a comedy featuring teens who team up with vamps and zombies in order to face off against an army of invading aliens.

To follow up on the report of Secret Circle’s Britt Robertson being cast to star in Disney’s ultra-top secret Tomorrowland, Judy Greer—a fan fave famous for her work on Arrested Development along with so much more—is also in talks to join the cast, which includes George Clooney and Raffey Cassidy (aka the young Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman).

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Speaking of Kristen Stewart, the actress is looking to put Twilight (far) behind her with Camp X-Ray, a gritty drama following a soldier (Stewart) who is sent to Guantanamo instead of Iraq, where she had been hoping to make a tour of duty. She is joined by Cory Michael Smith and Lane Garrison.

Camp X-Ray image
Finally, Mr. Gossip Girl Penn Badgley finally has some good follow-up work coming up since wrapping that little old show over at the CW: he is gearing up to play Posthumus in a modern day adaptation of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline opposite Ethan HawkeandAnton Yelchin. But perhaps most interestingly, Badgley will also be playing alongside Alexis Bledel, Teresa Palmer, and Rosario Dawson in the mysterious sounding romantic drama Parts Per Billion, about relationships threatened by a huge biological event. Both films out next year!

Badgley image