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.
“Free Guy” Sequel
Ryan Reynolds is ready to start a new save file. In a recent tweet, the “Free Guy” star announced that “after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo! #irony.” (Director Shawn Levy responded with a quote tweet of his own, adding a hearty, “Yuuuuuuuup.”) While Disney reps have not added their own comments yet, it would not be surprising if the House of Mouse is ready to play again: this is the first Disney movie to have a theatrical-only release in about a year and has received good reviews for critics and moviegoers alike. In “Free Guy,” Reynolds portrays a non-playable video game character (NPC) named Guy in a popular game called “Free City” who soon realizes he is living in a fictional game and sets off on a quest to become the game’s hero, with the help of the game’s programmers. The film also stars Joe Keery, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Taika Waititi, and Utkarsh Ambudkar. Ronna Kress and Angela Peri were the casting directors for the first film— expect a return to the game if the sequel is given the greenlight.
Gene Roddenberry Biopic
It’s a centennial birthday gift worth celebrating: first reported by Deadline, Roddenberry Entertainment has been working on a feature biopic of the late sci-fi TV icon and “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry. Adam Mazar (“You Don’t Know Jack”) has reportedly written a script for the project, which is being produced by “Star Trek” caretakers Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth, who have executive produced all current franchise series. Next up in the development will be finding a director and actors to bring the story of the fighter pilot-turned-LAPD cop-turned-TV writer-turned-franchise-creator to life.
“The English Patient”
It’s another big win for Miramax TV over at the BBC, where a small screen adaptation of the Michael Ondaatje novel “The English Patient” is reportedly in the early stages of development. According to Deadline, the drama series, which is a co-production between Miramax Television and Paramount Television Studios, will be a new interpretation of the novel and not a remake of the 1996 Miramax feature adaptation that starred Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. The book is told out of sequence and moves back and forth between an unrecognizably burned patient’s memories before his accident and the current events at the bomb-damaged Italian monastery as he is treated by his Canadian Army nurse. “Run and Taboo” scribe Emily Ballou will write.“The English Patient” is also the latest British series in the works from Miramax TV (after an adaptation of Jim Cartwright’s play “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice”), which has been ramping up its London-based operations. No cast or additional creative team members have been announced at this time.
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