While the Joseph Gordon-Levitt actioner we’re really looking forward to is his reunion with “Brick” helmer Rian Johnson on “Looper”, we’re big fans of the actor, and will probably follow him even to B-movie shlock like “Premium Rush,” the David Koepp-directed movie that’s gearing up to shoot shortly. Particularly when Michael Shannon has just joined the cast as well.
The actor, Oscar-nominated for “Revolutionary Road” a few years back, got the best deal out of taking a studio paycheck for “Jonah Hex” — he got paid, but was also mostly cut out of the picture, so few will associate him with that disaster. This time out, he’ll be more visible, playing the lead villain, a corrupt cop chasing a package carried by Gordon-Levitt’s bike messenger across New York.
Former “Real World” star Jamie Chung (“Sorority Row”) is also joining the cast, as Gordon-Levitt’s ex, a fellow bike messenger, who helps him out. Dania Ramirez (“Heroes”) was previously reported to have joined the cast, as the female lead, but that’s the part that Chung appears to be in negotiations for, and there’s no mention of Ramirez in The Hollywood Reporter‘s story, so we assume that she’s out. We’re obviously big fans of Shannon, so we’re glad he’s on board, although we can’t say that we’re familiar with Chung’s work. Fingers crossed, this could be a taut, frills-free thriller along the lines of something like “Red Eye,” and it’ll apparently feature William Friedkin-esque chase scenes, which sounds promising, although Koepp’s record as a director is, frankly, a little patchy.