Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt announced a new movie this week and while details are under wraps (or were), the untitled drama reunites her with her “Wendy & Lucy” star Michelle Williams. But there’s more. Laura Dern, Jared Harris (“Sherlock Holmes 2,” and “Mad Men”) and James Le Gros have joined the cast.
Some details have reportedly surfaced too. What’s it about? The movie is reportedly going under the title of the “Helena and Montana Story.” Helena is Montana’s capital city, and it’s apparently a Robert Altman-like take of lives of small town folk that has a structure apparently akin to “Nashville” and “Short Cuts.” That’s the rumor anyhow. Film Divider also said Kristen Stewart was being eyed for a role, but THR‘s report suggests that didn’t pan out. Or at least, maybe that deal hasn’t gone through yet. We’ll have to wait and see…
Speaking of Laura Dern, her mom Diane Ladd is going to appear in David O. Russell’s "Joy." Presumably she’ll play Jennifer Lawrence‘s mother, as JLaw is the movie’s star. [THR]
20th Century Fox’s “Deadpool” is casting up quickly as it’s shooting in March and already scheduled for a February 2016 release. T.J. Miller and Gina Carano have already joined the cast and “Homeland” star Morena Baccarin just nabbed the female lead alongside Ryan Reynolds. [THR]
After “Bridesmaids” made her a big star, Melissa McCarthy signed a big deal with several studios for various projects. One of them is Universal’s “Michelle Darnell” which just nabbed actress Kristen Bell. McCarthy’s husband Ben Falcone is directing. [Variety]
Marvel and Netflix’s “A.K.A. Jessica Jones” is already in production as the series is expected to debut sometime later this year following “Daredevil,” which premieres in March. The 13-episode series has just added Erin Moriarty (“The Kings Of Summer”), Eka Darville (“Power Rangers”), and Wil Traval (“All Saints”). The cast already includes Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones), David Tennant (Kilgrave), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Rachael Taylor (Patricia “Trish” Walker), and Carrie-Anne Moss. [Marvel]
Anne Hathaway is eyeing "The Burning Woman" penned by Brad Ingelsby ("Out Of The Furnace," "Run All Night"). The story kicks off when "a 32-year-old woman’s teen daughter goes missing and she is left to raise her infant grandson alone. The story is told over the course of 11 years, from the time her daughter vanishes, through the the trials-and-tribulations of subsequent years looking for closure, leading up to the long-awaited discovery of the truth." The plan is to find a director and then take it out to distributors. [Deadline]
