The big picture that is 2011’s moviescape is becoming clearer as casting decisions are announced on more and more projects. The latest updates include news on the Edgar Allan Poe based period piece The Raven, the wild night comedy The Sitter, and the kiddie adventure Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
Previously, we reported James McTeigue, the director of V for Vendetta, had selected John Cusack (Hot Tub Time Machine) to star as Poe in the twisted thriller based on the author’s mysterious last days. Now First Showing has revealed Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans) has joined the cast alongside Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League). While Eve will play Poe’s fiancée, Evans will replace Jeremy Renner, who has backed out to star in Mission Impossible 4, as the detective/sidekick to Cusack‘s Poe as they hunt down a serial killer whose crimes bare striking similarities to Poe’s macabre stories.
In other news, The Wrap announced Sam Rockwell (Moon) has signed onto Superbad star, Jonah Hill’s vehicle The Sitter, in which Rockwell will play an antagonistic drug dealer. The Sitter is a comedy reminiscent of Adventures in Babysitting, except that instead of kick-ass hero, Elisabeth Shue, you have a conniving college dropout played by Hill who takes the kids in his care on a wild adventure when a drug deal goes bad. J.B SmooveCurb Your Enthusiasm) and Ari Graynor (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) also star in the David Gordon Green directed flick, with Max Records of Where the Wild Things Are on board as one of Hill’s three charges. (
Finally, Playlist proclaims Mr. Popper’s Penguins, based on the popular children’s book, has added acclaimed actor Philip Baker Hall (Magnolia) to a cast that already includes Carla Gugino (Watchmen) and Jim Carrey. The kiddie caper directed by Mark Waters (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) will center on Mr. Poppers (Carrey), whose life is turned upside down when he inherits a family of penguins and turns his home into a winter wonderland to better house them. While the solid release date has not been set – I’m going to guess Christmas 2011.
With a mix of big names, up-and-comers, and pretty faces, it looks like 2011 will have a little something for everyone.
Are you excited about this latest round of casting news? Are you looking forward to The Raven, The Sitter or Mr. Popper’s Penguins?