Just a few days ago, we told you that actor Max Martini had been cast in Guillermo del Toro‘s monsters vs. robots epic, Pacific Rim. The casting for the movie is only speeding up as it comes closer and closer to the start of production, and Variety now reports that Rob Kazinsky has joined, with Willem Dafoe entering early talks.

Kazinsky, a British actor who’s likely best known for the TV series EastEnders, is playing a member of the group trying to stop the invading monsters; this is a role that several actors have already had assigned to them in the Travis Beacham-scripted film. Dafoe, meanwhile, is being sought for the part of “a rogue scientist with expertise on alien creatures.” Having him work with del Toro is something I would consider to be a very exciting prospect, so count me as being in. Also starring Charlie Hunnam Idris Elba, Charlie Day, and Rinko Kikuchi, the movie will begin production this fall.

TheWrap has casting information on another project from a genre-friendly director, this one being Park Chan-wook‘s Stoker. Last night brought the news of Animal Kingdom‘s Jacki Weaver appearing here in an unspecified part, and we now know that X-Men: First Class actor Lucas Till has also signed on.

But just like last night, we don’t know which of Wentworth Miller‘s characters this newest actor will be portraying. Regardless, the cast for this is impressive: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, and Matthew Goode are all on board, with the story following a young girl, named India, who’s visited by her strange uncle, Charlie, after the death of her father. The involvement of Chan-wook is the seal on the proverbial deal for me; I’m not too concerned that these latest actors to join will sink the movie, because it has too much good going for it right now.

When it comes to what will likely be lighter fare, Vulture (via ThePlaylist) learned that Glee actor Darren Criss is in Imogene, which stars Kristen Wiig. The film, directed by American Splendor helmers Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini and written by Michelle Morgan, is about “a playwright who fakes suicide to get back with an ex but ends up having to go live with her gambling-addict mom.” He’s playing the “younger love interest” of the main character, who she meets upon returning to her home in New Jersey. Wiig is the lead, while Annette Bening is the mother; new details have been revealed on the latter character, which sound quite funny.

Producer Celine Lattray described her as “a tacky Jersey Shore mother” that’s “inappropriate all the time,” and is one embodied by “her outfits” and “her makeup.” Bening doesn’t normally take parts like that, so it should be fun to see her break the mold a little. I don’t watch Glee (this is normally a space where I would offer some excuse, but that doesn’t feel necessary this time around), so his talents are completely beyond any of my judgement. Disregarding any of that, this sounds like something I would be up for checking out — Wiig is, in my opinion, hilarious, and she showed with Bridesmaids that she can carry a film. It’s a benefit that American Splendor is a wonderful movie, too.

Which of these movies are you most excited for? Do these casting choices change how much you’re anticipating them?