We hope you enjoyed you President’s Day holiday, and we welcome you back into the world of film new with a “Star Wars: Episode 7” rumor. Joining the ever growing list of actors who have met/been considered/thought about starring in the sequel — which has included Gary Oldman, Zac Efron, Michael Fassbesnder, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael B. Jordan, Jack O’Connell, Alex Pettyfer, Saoirse Ronan, Sullivan Stapleton and Jesse Plemons — rising actor Jack Reynor has been cast in the J.J. Abrams film. That’s what AICN says anyway, though we’d wonder how much Paramount will want the anchor for “Transfomers: Age Of Extinction” to jump to another franchise….
If you’ve been doing your Oscar prep properly (and we’ll know if you haven’t), then you’ve recenty caught up with Belgian bluegrass flick “The Broken Circle Breakdown” which, yes, is a thing, and yes, is nominated for Best Foreign Film and yes, is really good. Well, surfing the wave of success is its director, Felix van Groeningen, the hottest thing to come out of Belgium since…well, since Matthias Scheonaerts, star of “Rust and Bone” and “Bullhead” (itself Oscar nominated a few years ago). Now Cineuropa reports they’re teaming up, like Tintin and Captain Haddock, to make “Belgica,” about two brothers who own a bar in Ghent and various dramas that surround them “from racism and camaraderie to fraternity and rivalry.” Apparently it’s based on the life of van Groeningen’s own father. Belgian beer and these two guys should be a good combination: in the meantime, try to catch “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” though we’ll buy you all a beer if it pulls of the win.
Lastly, “Pitch Perfect 2” casting is gathering pace: after the news that both Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson would return and that the great Elizabeth Banks, a producer and supporting role in the (indecently fun) first film, would direct the second, we now know via Deadline that Brittany Snow, who plays Chloe, the nicer of the two a capella mentors, will be back. The first was a big hit, and the studio will likely be willing to chuck money around to get the gang back together, so hopefully we’ll hear more in this vein soon… aca-excellent.
