Jessica Brown Findlay Joins James McAvoy And Daniel Radcliffe In FRANKENSTEIN

Variety reports that actress Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey, A Winter's Tale) has landed the female lead in Fox's Frankenstein film scripted by Max Landis (Chroncile, World War Z). James McAvoy (Trance, X-Men Days of Future Past) will star as the good Dr. Frankenstein while Daniel Radcliffe will play Egor. Jessica had also been in the mix for Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and previously for a role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

TO BE CONSIDERED: Who Should Play Scarlet Witch And Quicksilver In AVENGERS 2?

It has been confirmed by Joss Whedon that villain siblings turned heroes Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will be new additions to Avengers 2. Whedon added they would represent an aspect of the world not entirely thrilled with the Avengers. Nothing says this statement means they'll be straight up villains (Thunderbolts/H.A.M.M.E.R.) but sounds like they'll have their clashes with the team. I assume the brass at S.H.I.E.L.D. and World Governments could be unhappy that they have superheroes running around without leashes. Which might be the seeds of Civil War which has been teased before.

Apparently, Marvel might be using Saoirse Ronan as a possible model for Scarlet Witch. Not sure if that means they'll be looking for an actress her age or someone with a similar mix of action/dramatic roles. Marvel will likely hold off announcing any casting for Avengers 2 and Phase Three's Ant-Man until Comic-Con 2013 in July. Yet, I have a few names that could make the mutant siblings really standout.

SCARLET WITCH (WANDA MAXIMOFF)

RUTH WILSON (Luther, Lone Ranger, The Prisoner, Anna Karenina): Ruth Wilson has some serious Marvel connections playing roles alongside actors Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell. Even actor Ian McKellen who plays her character's would be father Magneto. She had been linked for possible talks for a role in Avengers 2 months back. Disney might be looking to up her profile as Ruth already is the female lead in their Lone Ranger tentpole this Summer.

JESSICA CHASTAIN (Zero Dark Thirty, The Help, Lawless, Mama): Jessica almost played Maya Hensen in Iron Man 3 but ultlmtely took the lead in Zero Dark Thirty instead. While earning an Oscar nomination for ZDT, she did state being open to working with Marvel in the future. She has the talent and popularity to bring enough life to the character.

JESSICA BROWN FINDLAY: Jessica was in the running for a role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and also had a small cameo in Iron Man 3 with her scenes from Downton Abbey playing in the background. Marvel seems to love television actors for new roles and Witch would be a role that would likely become a staple for future Avengers sequels. Similar to hiring Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Findlay could balance out playing baddie and anti-heroine.


QUICKSILVER (PIETRO MAXIMOFF)

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH (Hobbit Trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness, Fifth Estate, Sherlock): Benedict has long been a fan favorite to play Doctor Strange but his current run of playing villains could make him an excellent Quicksilver. To be honest I could careless about Quicksilver but someone like Ben could really give substantial dimension to him. His turn in Star Trek Into Darkness proved his ruthlessness as a villain which might be needed for the Avengers sequel to be darker than the previous one. Marvel has a history of casting Star Trek alumni with Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Zoe Saldana (Gamora) taking roles. Other cast members such as Chris Pine and Alice Eve had been in the mix for the leads in Captain America: The First Avenger. Even Simon Pegg has stated interest in playing a villain in Edgar Wright's Ant-Man.

RYAN GOSLING (Drive, Place Beyond The Pines, Only God Forgives): Getting Ryan Gosling is a bit of a longshot but I think he could work well with Joss Whedon and the cast. He's a very dedicated actor with dramatic chops but might be harder to lure into a Marvel contract. The fact he's almost entirely sworn off comic book films would be a giant get for the studio. Ryan's got a solid background with stunt training (martial arts, weapons, stunt driving/motorcycling) thanks to his numerous action films such as Drive, Only God Forgives, Gangster Squad and The Place Beyond The Pines.

CHARLIE HUNNAM (Sons Of Anarchy, Pacific Rim, Green Street Hooligans): Charlie is very suitable actor that could work within the Marvel blueprint. While he has Pacific Rim on the horizon this  Summer it hasn't made him a household name at this point. Similar to Cumberbatch, Charlie has a massive following thanks to his series S.O.A. Originally, Charlie had been one of the few candidates to play Thor before Chris Hemsworth ended up being cast in the role. He was recently linked for possibly playing The Flash in Justice League but that film is being put on hold until the box office returns for Man of Steel come in. Marvel would be smart to sign Hunnam up before Pacific Rim 2 or Justice League gets a greenlight.

TO BE CONSIDERED: Actresses For Gamora Of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

While it looks like Marvel has possibly found their two Guardian of The Galaxy male leads with Chris Pratt (Starlord) and rumored addition Jason Momoa (Drax The Destroyer). The studio hasn't exactly made it clear who they want for Gamora the female side of the team. We've been hearing a couple of names linked which have been from mostly untested sources but could be believed. I'm going to list the rumored candidates and my own choices. It shouldn't be too long before trades and more in tuned blogs start digging. My own choices include a few names that have been previously linked to Marvel projects.

I've posted this a couple of times but the rumored list of names for Gamora include Gina Carano (Haywire, Female Expendables, Fast And Furious 6), Adrianne Palicki (Red Dawn, G.I. Joe: Retalation), Rosario Dawson (Trance, Death Proof, Sin City 1-2), Olivia Wilde (Tron Legacy, Rush), Rachel Nichols (Star Trek, Conan, G.I. Joe, Alias), Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation, Faster, Sessions, Falling Skies) and Kristanna Loken (Burn Notice, Terminator 3, L Word, Painkiller Jane).

MY CASTING SUGGESTIONS

GEMMA ARTERTON: Gemma (RockNRolla, Quantum of Solace) had been in the mix for roles in both Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 previously. Being linked for Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Maya Henson (Rebecca Hall). Not to mention in the running for lead parts in Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises. She might have had a stumble with poor roles in films like Prince of Persia, Clash of The Titans and Witch Hunters but still manages to wrangle interesting smaller films like Alice Creed Byzantium and Runner Runner. I think with the right creative team she could finally deliver the goods.

ZOE SALDANA: Already making a name for herself starting with 2008's Star Trek reboot (with future Thor/Avengers star Chris Hemsworth) and it's sequel Star Trek Into Darkness (Benedict Cumberbatch who plays the villain is a fan favorite for Doctor Strange) coming this May. Zoe has also been apart of the biggest film ever made Avatar. While her performance was mostly motion capture it helped launch her international film career. Recently, Salanda has been taking more action focused roles in films such as the The Losers (alongside Cap/Avengers' Chris Evans and Thor's Idris Elba), Colombiana and Machete Kills.

JESSICA BROWN FINLAY: The British actress had been linked as a frontrunner for a female role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It's unknown if that part was for Sharon Carter the Downton Abbey actress is on their radar. Jessica also has a few working links with some Marvel actors such as Felicity Jones (Amazing Spider-Man 2) in Albatross, Michael Fassbender (X-Men First Class, X-Men Days of Future Past) in the short film Man On A Motorcycle, Terrence Howard (Iron Man) and Garrett Hedlund (Captain America/Guardians candidate) in Lullaby, William Hurt (Incredible Hulk) and Kevin Durand (Wolverine, Guardians?) in Winter's Tale. 

EMILIA CLARKE: Like Jessica, Emilia was linked for Winter Soldier. Her attachment to the Game of Thrones series makes her a very strong candidate. As her fellow almuni have nabbed roles in X-Men Days of Future Past (Peter Dinklage) and Guardians of The Galaxy (Jason Momoa). Marvel Studios even took it further by hiring GOT showrunner and director Alan Taylor for Thor: The Dark World. While it seems weird that Marvel would hire two cast members from the same TV series they have hired actors who have worked together previously for chemistry sake. 

Toby Jones Confirms Return For CAPTAIN AMERICA THE WINTER SOLDIER, Felicity Jones Denies Casting Rumor

HeyUGuys were able to confirm with actor Toby Jones that he would be reprising the role of Dr. Zola in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Fans picked up on tidbits in First Avenger that could have been setting up a present-day Zola. Testing out brainwashing techniques with Bucky. Barnes would eventually get the full treatment after being turned into a cyrogenic assassin with a robotic arm known as Winter Soldier. It's possible that Dr. Zola could behind the creation of the Winter Solider along with his new robotic body. The blueprints for had been an Easter Egg in the first film. While it hasn't been confirmed rumors have been circling that Baron Zemo or Baron Strucker could be the main villain pulling the strings.

Felicity Jones who had been linked for the female lead in the film has denied she was ever in the running to the site as well. Mary Elizabeth Winstead had previously done same in recent interviews. It's possible that rumored front-runners Anna Kendrick (Scott Pilgrim, End of Watch, Up In The Air) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey, Winter's Tale) are still being considered.

"No, I’m not part of that. I haven’t auditioned for that one and I never even saw the script."

Jessica Brown Findlay The New Front-Runner For Sharon Carter In CAPTAIN AMERICA WINTER SOLDIER?

DailyExpress is reporting that British Jessica Brown Findlay (Albatross, Downton Abbey, Winter's Tale) is now the new front-runner for the female lead in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Previously, names such as Anna Kendrick and Mary Elizabeth Winstead had been named as favorites for the role which is assumed to be S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sharon Carter. Others such as Emilia Clarke, Felicity Jones , Teresa Palmer, Imogen Poots, and Alison Brie were linked as well.

Frank Grillo (Grey, Warrior) has tested for the role of villain Brock Rumlock (Crossbones). Others testing for villains include Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones, Headhunters) and Josh Holloway (Lost, Ghost Protocol). Currently the only new cast member is Anthony Mackie (Million Dollar Baby, Hurt Locker, Gangster Squad) who has been placed in the role of Sam Wilson (The Falcon) who is Cap's present day sidekick. Sebastian Stan (Bucky) is back in the title role of Winter Soldier along with Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) reprising their Avengers roles.

Alison Brie And Emilia Clarke Testing For CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

Deadline has word more actresses are testing for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As Alison Brie (Five-Year Engagement, Community, Mad Men), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Jessica Brown Findlay (Downtown Abbey) and Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later, Fright Night) are the shortlist for the "love interest" for Steve Rogers. While the latter two names have appeared before it's the first time that Brie and Clarke have been linked to the film. It's possible new Marvel directors Alan Taylor (Thor: Dark World, Game of Thrones) and Russo Brothers (Winter Soldier, Community) have been pitching their actors to the studio. Previously, Anna Kendrick and Felicity Jones had been linked for the role.

The site also confirms (again) that Scarlett Johansson will reprise the role of Black Widow, perhaps having her Russian origin linked to that of The Winter Soldier? Other confirmed actors include Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie.

Jessica Brown Findlay Takes Female Lead In Winter's Tale

Deadline reports that British actress Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey, Albatross) has beat out a slew of other actress for the lead in Winter's Tale. Garrett Hedlund and Aaron Johnson are the current frontrunners for the male lead. It's been previously reported that Russell Crowe and Will Smith will have small roles as well. The film centers around a dying young woman who falls in love with a thief who breaks into her home, a palatial West Side mansion, in a drama that takes place in 19th Century and contemporary Manhattan. Shooting will start on October 15th in New York.