It’s been a little slow on the news uptake when it comes to Paul Greengrass‘ Captain Phillips, but this silent production just had a minor break. As Variety reports, Max Martini (Pacific Rim) will join Tom Hanks in the true-life thriller, playing Frank Castellano, the Navy SEAL commander who organized both Richard Phillips‘ rescue and the killing of his four Somali captors. Since this event serves as the film’s main conflict — and, considering the extent of Castellano’s involvement in said event — it sounds as though Martini‘s nabbed a decently-sized role.

Catherine Keener also stars in the Billy Ray-scripted film, which is scheduled to open on March 22nd, 2013.

Moving on, Variety has two casting stories on Brian Helgeland‘s Jackie Robinson film, 42, telling us that Toby Huss (Seinfeld‘s “The Wiz”), Brad Beyer (GCB), and Ryan Merriman (Pretty Little Liars) will all break in their gloves as members of The Los Angeles Dodgers.

Huss will play Clyde Sukeforth, the Dodgers’ then-third base coach who helped get Robinson signed; Merriman has been cast as Dixie Walker, their right fielder who, after spending time with the player, begins to lose his racist leanings; and Beyer can be seen as Kirby Higbe, Dodgers pitcher and social opponent of Robinson’s cause.

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Christopher Meloni, and Nicole Beharie, 42 is expected to begin production in the near future.

Does either film look any better with these pieces of casting?