The quest to find a young adult book series that can easily be turned into a film franchise of “The Hunger Games” or “Twilight” proportions seems to be everlasting. One of the more recent attempts is currently coming together in the form of author Cassandra Clare’s “The Mortal Instruments” saga, with the first installment entitled “City of Bones” set to roll soon in front of cameras, and the cast is slowly shaping up. The film has lined up two more talented individuals in “The Hobbit” star Aidan Turner, who will be happily leaping from one epic franchise to another – along with “The Shield” regular and “Avatar” actress CCH Pounder. Turner will be filling the role of Luke Garroway in director Harald Zwart’s adaptation, while Pounder will assume to role of Madame Dorothea. Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower are the HAWT duo of this series, leaving Lena Heady, Jared Harris, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Durand and more to do the background work. Screen Gems will be releasing the film stateside in the late summer spot of August 13, 2013.
The last time Brendan Fraser was a megastar was when he took on “The Mummy” for a third time in 2008’s “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” before leading an odd string of misfires in films like “Inkheart,” “Furry Vengeance,” and “Extraordinary Measures.” Fraser hasn’t been lazing about though, with projects like the Justin Long-penned “A Case of You” now shooting and the comedy "Whole Lotta Sole" making the festival rounds, and now Fraser will star in writer-director Damian Lee’s “Split Decision.” Fraser will play a father attempting to protect his children from a band of murders (played by “Prison Break” star Dominic Purcell and “My Name is Earl” regular Ethan Suplee), in what sounds like a title ripe for the straight-to-DVD treatment – especially considering that’s what Lee’s CV is mostly made-up of. Principal photography is gearing to start on location in Ontario, so we’ll have to see how the typically slapstick prone Fraser handles himself in a thriller of this nature.
Finally, Josh Gad has carved himself a pleasant little niche in the comedy world, earning praise for his role in “The Book of Mormon,” along with supporting appearances in film and television like “Party Down,” “Love and Other Drugs,” and “21” – but now he’s looking to step into blockbuster comedies with the Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn-starring“The Internship.” In the Shawn Levy-directed picture, Vaughn and Wilson play two men who are forced to start from the bottom of the career ladder in a situation comedy style set-up, with Gad set to play an anti-social engineer named Headphones at the tech firm where Vaughn and Wilson are working. Gad also has a plum role playing Apple co-creator Steve Wozniak in the “Jobs” biopic with Ashton Kutcher, so it's been a good year for him. “The Internship” will hit theaters sometime in 2013. [Variety/THR/Deadline]