Want to know what’s breaking in the casting and production world? We’ve got you covered. This week’s greenlit series involves casting news about Christopher Nolan’s next big feature, “Oppenheimer,” and Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Snow White.” Along with these big headlines, the upcoming feature “International Sweethearts of Rhythm” also has a new director.
Two new stars join the “Oppenheimer” cast.
Deadline is back on top of the news on “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s next big feature. This time, we’re learning that Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr. have joined the Cillian Murphy–led Universal Pictures feature. We previously reported on Emily Blunt’s potential involvement in the film, which seems to have been made official at this point. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, the film will tell the story of the man behind the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. This will be the second time Damon and Nolan will have worked together, following “Interstellar,” and will mark the first time Downey and the director will collaborate. John Papsidera is the casting director for “Oppenheimer.” It is set for release on July 21, 2023.
“Snow White” has found its Evil Queen.
They’ve already found the fairest of them all, and now, they’ve found the Evil Queen. Deadline reports that Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, will star opposite “West Side Story” actor Rachel Zegler in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Snow White.” According to Deadline, studio executives at Disney have always had their eyes on Gadot for the role despite a long casting process. “Dear Evan Hansen” and “La La Land” team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will write new songs for the adaptation, which will reportedly “expand upon the story and music from the original.” No further casting has been announced at this time.
“International Sweethearts of Rhythm” gets a new director and writer.
“Pose” may have ended, but Janet Mock will never leave the dance floor. According to Deadline, the multihyphenate is now set to direct and write a new draft for “The International Sweethearts of Rhythm” for Sony Pictures. Suzan-Lori Parks, the first Black woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for “Topdog/Underdog,” wrote the previous draft. Plot details are being kept under wraps at this point, including whether, as assumed, it is based on the real International Sweethearts of Rhythm, the first racially integrated all-female jazz band in the U.S. and the subject of a 1986 documentary of the same name. Amy Pascal, Elizabeth Banks, and more will produce. Mock has been staying busy on other projects such as Ryan Murphy’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and the upcoming “Scandalous!” and “Janet.” No casting has been announced for “Sweethearts” at this time.
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