A trio of casting announcements today find top-line talent gaining a dose of quality support, from an actor in the midst of breakout roles after films like “Argo” and “Killing Them Softly,” and another who will hopefully soon be following suit.
One-half of the tumultuous couple in Asghar Farhadi‘s “A Separation,” actor/screenwriter Peyman Moaadi has just been announced to star opposite Kristen Stewart in the indie drama, “Camp X-Ray.” Stewart plays a soldier assigned to Guantanamo Bay who befriends a man imprisoned for eight years, to be played by Moaadi. The politically charged film may be writer/director Peter Settler‘s first stab at features, but his central duo — along with David Gordon Green‘s help as exec producer — promises a fine result, as it starts filming in Los Angeles this summer. [The Wrap]
Keeping on the lines of political intrigue, actress Paz Vega has joined the cast of “Kill The Messenger,” which stars Jeremy Renner as real-life journalist Guy Webb, who helped expose the CIA’s part in a 1980s Nicaraguan drug ring. Vega will play the girlfriend of a wealthy dealer, thrown in jail and looking to Webb for release — a small part from the looks of things, but hopefully well utilized by director Michael Cuesta (“Homeland”). Filming on the thriller starts August in Atlanta. [THR]
In a complete tonal U-turn, Scoot McNairy is set to continue his string of high-profile gigs with director Kevin McDonald‘s “Black Sea,” an underwater adventure with Jude Law in the lead. McNairy — who just wrapped David Michod‘s “The Rover” with Robert Pattinson and the AMC pilot “Halt and Catch Fire” — will play an American who convinces Law’s wary rogue skipper to undertake a voyage for sunken treasure. The Dennis Kelly-penned project sounds like a nice occasion for McNairy to let loose, that we’ll hopefully see soon as Focus Features attempts to get it rolling. [Deadline]