Russell Crowe is a busy, busy dude. Not only does he have “Father and Daughters” casting up, he’s busy working on his directorial debut “The Water Diviner” as well, and he’s now landed a co-star. Olga Kurylenko has joined the period drama that will find Crowe playing Connor, a father and farmer who searches for his sons who went missing-in-action in Turkey following the Gallipoli war. The actress will take the role of the (obviously) beautiful owner of a hotel that Connor stays in. Will romance bloom? Probably. Production on this one starts in December. [Deadline]
While a “Bridesmaids” sequel will basically never happen, that isn’t stopping Rose Byrne from re-teaming with her co-star Melissa McCarthy. The actress has boarded the spy spoof “Susan Cooper” that will be directed by Paul Feig, making it a triple re-team. Details are being kept tightly wrapped, but the movie will be a “Casino Royale“-inspired riff on secret agent flicks. Plans are to shoot the movie on McCarthys’ next hiatus from her day job on “Mike & Molly.” [The Wrap]
“The Skin I Live In” star Elena Anaya and “Sucker Punch” lead Emily Browning will co-star in “Rosa,” the latest from “Lantana” director Ray Lawrence. Penned by Beatrix Christian (who also teamed with Lawrence on “Jindabyne“), the film is based on Lloyd Jones‘ book “Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance” and “follows intertwining love stories across three generations and two continents as the eponymous young woman discovers a hidden bittersweet romance buried in her grandfather’s past in 1930’s Buenos Aires. Simultaneously, Rosa struggles to find the balance between loving her down-to-earth husband Ivan and falling in love with a younger man.” Production will begin next April. [Screendaily]
In a mini “Blade Runner” reunion, Rutger Hauer has joined Sean Young and John Cusack in the thriller “Kickback.” The directorial debut of Raza Mallal, the movie will tell the tale of “a renegade Moscow detective investigating the murder of a female war journalist. He becomes embroiled in a web of counter espionage involving chemical warfare, and the assassination of the Russian president.” Karen David, Sean Astin, Mischa Barton, Michael Biehn, Tom Sizemore and John Hannah round out the cast for this which is aiming to lens next March. [Screendaily]