Stay in the loop on industry and casting news with our write-up on who’s been slated for recent film and television roles!
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”
The award-winning Mark Haddon novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” will be adapted for a second time. The stage play by Simon Stephens won high praise from the theater community, including the 2015 Tony Award for best play, following a successful run in London. The project then became a hot property for film development. The story follows an autistic boy who discovers a neighbor’s dead dog, which appears to have been murdered. Fraught with curiosity, he sets out to discover who committed the crime and ends up uncovering more than he anticipated. The project has only recently been put into development, so no actors are attached, but casting director Heidi Levitt has been locked down to cast the project. Steve Kloves wrote the script. The film doesn’t yet have an anticipated shoot date or location.
“Thunder Force”
Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer are joining forces to add their own twist to the growing superhero genre in Netflix’s “Thunder Force.” While plot details are sparse, the film will follow two ordinary women who suddenly develop superpowers that usher them into the superhero world. Allison Jones will cast the project, which currently has only the two leads attached. Actor Ben Falcone wrote the script and will direct the film, co-producing with his wife, McCarthy, under their On the Day Productions banner. More cast announcements should come soon; the multigenre project will begin shooting in early fall and continue through the winter in Atlanta.
“Here Today”
Billy Crystal’s next project, “Here Today,” will face the realities of aging. Not only is the actor stepping into the lead role in the project, cast by Tara Rubin, he’s also signed on to direct the dramedy. The plot revolves around a comedy writer in the early stages of dementia who finds a new friend in a vivacious and much younger woman. The gutsy singer, who also works as a street performer, ignites the man’s curiosity and enjoyment of life before his dementia further advances. As he forgets more and more each day, she vows to stick it out with her friend. Crystal is currently the only performer on the cast list, but more talent is expected to be added soon, as production is slated to begin in mid-September in New York.
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This story originally appeared in the Aug. 8 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.