Currently retired from public life, whatever that means, Shia LaBeouf is either Hollywood’s greatest enigma or best prankster. Or both. At any rate, after owning the Berlin Film Festival press conference for Lars von Trier‘s “Nymphomaniac,” it looked like Shia was just gonna keep on truckin’, working, making weird and possibly plagiarized art, and generally continue to upend whatever notions of decorum are affixed to young actors. But it seems he is taking a step back for a moment.
LaBeouf has dropped out of Barry Levinson‘s brewing comedy “Rock The Kasbah,” where he would’ve starred opposite Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Kate Hudson, and Danny McBride. The story centers on a washed-up rock manager (Murray) who travels to Afghanistan on business and finds himself stranded in Kabul. Fortunately he quickly discovers a talented singer intent on winning the competition show “Afghan Star,” and sets about recovering his career once more. LaBeouf was slotted in a part that would’ve seen him paired up with McBride as a military duo, but that will have to be cast. But plenty of time to figure it out as production doesn’t start until June. [THR]
Later this year, Disney will drop “Big Hero 6,” their animated take on the Marvel property and they are starting to get the voice cast locked down. T.J. Miller has revealed he’ll part of the ensemble, playing “a guy who is very immature. Immature but confident.” And that sounds about right. The futuristic tale follows robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada and his robot sidekick Baymax as they take on various bad guys. The film arrives in theatres on November 7th. [Rotoscopers]
Joseph Fiennes has joined Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving in the currently-in-production “Strangerland.” Kim Farrant directs this one about a “couple (Kidman and Fiennes) whose lives unravel after their two teenage children go missing in the harsh Australian desert.” [Variety]
Yes, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” is happening and it has found its villain. Neil McDonough will play the baddie in this one that finds Paul Blart “attending a security guard expo in Las Vegas. Casino security mocks him, but he gets the last laugh when he helps them take on art thieves.” Hilarious! Production starts in April. [THR]
Bradley Cooper‘s “American Sniper” is adding soldiers, with Luke Grimes and Kyle Gallner now on board. Co-starring Sienna Miller, the Clint Eastwood-directed movie will tell the true story of the life “Chris Kyle, the Texas native who went from rodeo cowboy to SEAL chief with the highest number of sniper kills in U.S. military history.” [Variety/The Wrap]
Peter Dinklage is going blockbuster, joining Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart and Josh Gad in “Pixels.” The film will follow a bunch of video game experts who are hired by the government to help when 1980s video game characters start attacking New York City. Yes, that’s the plot. [The Wrap]
Lastly, rapper T.I. has joined the Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart comedy “Get Hard.” The movie will tell the story of a rich, soft-handed investment bank manager who is sentenced to a maximum security prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He hires a streetwise guy who normally washes his car to get him ready to do hard time in the 30 days before he has to report to prison. [Deadline]