Felicity Jones Frontrunner For 'STAR WARS' Spin-Off; Aaron Paul And Edgar Ramirez In The Mix

Hollywood Reporter has word that Oscar nominated actress Felicity Jones (Amazing Spider-Man 2, Like Crazy, The Theory of Everything) is now in talks with Lucasfilm for the female lead in Gareth Edwards' untitled Star Wars film. Jones had been linked along with actresses Rooney Mara, Kate Mara and Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany.

Rumors had suggested otherwise as it was said that Tatiana Maslany was the frontrunner, that seems to be untrue from this new trade report. The film she's working on that led to her dropping out of a play is actually a indie starring opposite Dane DeHaan.

They are also reporting that actors Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty) in the mix for the male lead. There had been suggestions that male lead could be Han Solo and Paul was rumored for that part. This might mean that Edgar could be taking that Boba Fett, but nothing says that's indeed the role.

After Lucasfilm hiring Oscar Isaac in The Force Awakens, there is hope they'll be hiring more latino actors for lead roles.

Latino Review recently suggested that both Boba Fett and Solo would be featured in the film, could there be two male leads?

We should come to expect not to really trust the word of pop-up sites when it comes to Star Wars news. There have been a couple of interesting ones but likely very untrue rumors circling recently.

They include the very busy Michael Fassbender linked for the Boba Fett role (unlikely due to X-Men and Assassin's Creed productions) and Tatiana Maslany playing Sabine from Rebels.

Just a couple of days ago we speculated on the latter, but nothing actually is pointing to that being factual besides the timeline. It's funny that one site's speculation can be another's rumor.



SOURCE: THR

Aaron Paul Coud Join The Growing Cast Of Ridley Scott's Bible Epic EXODUS Starring Christian Bale And Joel Edgerton

TheWrap reports that Breaking Bad actor has in talks for a high-profile role in Ridley Scott's Exodus which focuses on the tale of Moses. The rest of new the additions include Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver and John Turturro. Paul would play Joshua, the Hebrew slave who led Jews to the promised land and kept a close watch on his friend Moses. Bale will play Moses while Joel Edgerton in the role of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II.

Dominic Cooper In Talks For NEED FOR SPEED

Variety reports that British actor Dominic Cooper (An Education, Devil's Double, Captain America) is in talks for a role in Need For Speed. The film based on the EA Games franchise has Aaron Paul (Smashed, Breaking Bad) and Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later, Fright Night) set for the leads.

Imogen Poots Joins Aaron Paul In NEED FOR SPEED

HeatVision reports that British actress Imogen Poots (Cracks, King of Cups, 28 Weeks Later, Fright Night) has landed the female lead in Dreamwork's Need For Speed. Said to be inspired by car films of 70's, it's based on the video game franchise. It already has Aaron Paul (Smashed, Breaking Bad) attached to star. You might remember that Paul had been in the running for role of John McClane Jr. in A Good Day To Die Hard. Poots was recently linked for the female lead in Captain America: The Winter Soldier which seems unlikely now.

Die Hard 5 Role Down To Two Actors?

Recently is was reported by Deadline that four actors were in the running to play John McClane's (Willis) son in A Good Day To Die Hard. They included James Badge Dale (The Departed, The Pacific), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Liam Hemsworth (Hunger Games) and DJ Cotrona (G.I. Joe 2). The part is expected to be important as the new actor could possibly continue the franchise for an aging Bruce Willis. James seems to have chosen playing Armie Hammer's brother in The Lone Ranger instead. Aaron Paul has stated to ThePlaylist that his involvement would conflict with the shooting of the final season of Breaking Bad.

"It kept going back and forth and back and forth but at the end of the day I don't know if the role was offered to me if I'd be able to do it because of scheduling conflicts with 'Breaking Bad.' "


This news can only suggest that both James and Aaron are out of the picture. Leaving Liam and D.J. as the final candidates. Liam recently worked with Willis on the Expendables 2 and has a bit of a following since being cast in Hunger Games. Hemsworth also has a heist project in the works that could co-star Dwayne Johnson. His action star creditability is slowly creeping up to match his brother's.

Controna previously worked with Bruce as well on G.I. Joe: Retaliation which could help his odds. The only problem is that while he might be cheap to hire he doesn't have name recognition like Liam does. D.J. was linked with a number of other actors testing for the role of Tetsuo in Warner Bros' Akira. He could end up joining that project instead leaving the role vacant for Hemsworth. A production start is looming as 20th Century Fox has set the release date for February 14th 2013.

James Badge Dale Could Join Die Hard 5

Deadline reports that four actors are in the final stage of casting for the role of John McClane's (Willis) son in A Good Day To Die Hard. The actors in question include James Badge Dale, Liam Hemsworth, Aaron Paul and D.J. Cotrona (G.I. Joe 2). Previously names like Ben Foster, Milo Ventimiglia and Paul Dano were in the running. The fifth Die Hard film in the franchise will be directed by John Moore and will be released on February 14th 2013.

James Badge Dale is the best of the bunch with a solid number of credits like The Departed, HBO's The Pacific and Steve McQueen's Shame. He also fits the right age range for the role. Since the son should be around 27-28 years old in the film. Liam Hemsworth is gaining steam taking roles in Hunger Games and Expendables 2. Hemsworth is also on a shortlist to play King Arthur in Arthur And Lancelot. Aaron Paul is interesting as he's developed a lot of popularity from his series Breaking Bad. The only issue is that Paul might have to pass because of the film will conflict with the shooting of the final season. D.J. might be the cost-friendly of the group as he's pretty much unknown. The key part of this casting is that whoever ends up in the role will likely keep the franchise going in future installments.

Major Updates On Die Hard 5!

Die Hard 5 is quickly coming together with the official title of A Good Day To Die Hard and the release date of February 14th 2013. John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) will be directing with Bruce Willis coming back for one more ride as the iconic John McClane. The fifth film follows McClane as he travels to Russia to get his son out of jail, but accidentally uncovers a terrorist plot.

Variety reports a shortlist of actors who will test for the role of McClane's son. The list includes Ben Foster (Messenger, Rampart, Mechanic), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Milo Ventimiglia (Pathology, Gamer) and Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood, Cowboys & Aliens). Paul Walker is also a studio hopeful but will not be testing. There is talk that this actor will carry on the Die Hard franchise similar to how Jeremy Renner is replacing Tom Cruise for future Mission Impossible films. Knowing that this actor could keep the franchise going I'd prefer Ben Foster getting the job since he's able to handle drama and mindless action. Yet, I wouldn't count out Milo and Aaron who are both interesting enough to keep up with Willis.