Casting Notes: Téa Leoni In ‘Tower Heist’; Lea Michelle In ‘New Year’s Eve’
Brett Ratner’s new movie, the thriller/action/comedyTower Heist, is prepping to shoot in November in New York City. The cast is enough to earn at least an interested glance:Ben Stiller,Eddie Murphy,Alan Alda,Gabourey SidibeandMichael Pena. Now there are two new additions:Téa LeoniandNina Arianda.Jeff Nathansonis currently rewriting theTed Griffinscript that got this picture moving. It’s about a group of employees in a big NYC building who set out to rob the fat cat living in the penthouse when they learn he’s plundered their pension fund. I’ll refer back to our last casting note on the movie for my general thoughts: I like the cast and want to see Eddie Murphy do a movie that doesn’t suck, so I’m rooting for this one. Even if prevailing opinion has pre-decided that it’ll be a waste of time, thanks to Brett Ratner. But it’s a heist movie, after all, which is my key weakness. [Variety]
After the break,Glee’s Lea Michele hits the big screen.
The big news about the kids fromGleeof late has revolved either around theirRocky Horror Picture Showhomage or, more likely, their tarted-up appearance in a GQ photo shoot. Let this be a lesson about casting 20-somethings in roles has high school kids. They’re likely to look hot in photo shoots. If that’s somehow a bad thing, then cast more high school shows along the lines ofFreaks & Geeks. Come to think of it, just cast more high school shows along the lines ofFreaks & Geeks, ok?
Regardless,Lea Micheleis reportedly likely to make the jump to the big screen inNew Year’s Day, which will act as the sequel toValentine’s Day, the ensemble romantic comedy that banked well earlier this year. This spin-off will likely again be directed byGarry Marshall, withKatherine Fugatereprising her role as screenwriter.
Valentine’s Day had a huge cast: Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Queen Latifah, Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts. We don’t know which, if any, will return. But that’s because the script isn’t finished and the film isn’t greenlit. [Variety]
