Welcome to Rumorville! Here you can learn about casting news that’s about to break in Hollywood. These speculations might be only rumors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t follow the trail all the way to the audition room.
“Happiest Season”
Coming off the success of the recent Hulu holiday film, “Happiest Season” director Clea DuVall spoke with Variety about her time working on the project and about her hopes for a sequel. Says DuVall, “I have a couple of ideas. We all had such a great time making the movie that we were talking about it then. But it was also just like, who knew if anybody would care about the movie or not? So I definitely am more than open to it.” People definitely care: “Happiest Season” became the most-watched film across Hulu during opening weekend and had the most hours watched among all the site’s original films, as well as outperformed all other movies on Hulu for bringing in the most new subscribers as it became one of the most talked-about movies on social media. The film starred Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Aubrey Plaza, and Dan Levy. Rich Delia was the original casting director, so if we do get a sequel, he could return as well.
“Babylon”
There’s currently some minor casting chaos in “Babylon,” the upcoming Paramount feature that was supposed to reunite Emma Stone with her “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle. According to Deadline, Stone has had to exit the film for scheduling reasons, and now, the studio and Chazelle are reportedly in early discussions with Margot Robbie to reteam with “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” co-star Brad Pitt for the project. “Babylon” will take place during the transition from silent films to talkies and feature a mix of real-life and fictional characters. Production is expected to start soon once casting is (again) complete as the film qualified for a tax credit allocation back in 2019 that was contingent on beginning production within 180 days (the deal likely still stands despite the production delay from COVID-19). Chazelle will direct from his own script. Francine Maisler is the casting director.
“Van Helsing”
Universal Pictures has committed to the development of a new film with one of its most iconic characters. First reported by Deadline, the studio is working on an original horror-thriller inspired by its classic monster legacy and set in the world of Van Helsing. The logline is currently being kept under wraps and Van Helsing’s part in the film is unknown, but a “Van Helsing” franchise has been long in the cards for the studio after its attempt in 2004 with Hugh Jackman playing the title role. Julius Avery (“Overlord”) will direct with James Wan producing through his Atomic Monster banner. No casting has been announced.
“Small Dark Look”
First reported by Deadline, as well, Focus Features’ crime drama “Small Dark Look” (formerly known as “Body Cross”) is up and running and is eyeing Jason Statham to star. Martin Zandvliet (“Land of Mine,” “Dane”) was recently tapped to helm the project, taking over for William Oldroyd. Written by Steven Knight (“Dirty Pretty Things”), the feature centers around the Russian Mafia in London. Statham’s deal is not locked in yet, but if it happens, it will be one of five other action or action-adjacent films the actor has in progress or in development at the moment.
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