Casting Call: Selena Gomez producing, Scarlett Johansson directing and more
Today we discovered that Selena Gomez will be taking on her first major executive producer credit for a haunting YA project with Netflix, while Scarlett Johansson makes her directorial debut with American Express and Ellie Goulding. James Franco and Seth Rogen are set to create perhaps their most off-the-wall film to date, a making-the-movie story based on cult favourite The Room.
13 REASONS WHY SELENA HAD TO PRODUCE
Selena Gomez and Netflix are joining forces to bring the young adult novel 13 Reasons Why to life, according to Variety. The singer fell hard for Jay Asher’s 2007 novel, in which a boy discovers a box of tapes that outline the reasons his classmate and crush took her own life - one of which is directly tied to him. Once considered for a feature film, the story will now be told in 13 episodes on the streaming service, with Selena as one of the executive producers.
SCARLETT TAKES THE DIRECTOR’S SEAT
For her first feature directing project, Scarlett Johansson has turned to the world of music for fodder, says Billboard. Setting up shop at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on Nov. 11, the actress will helm a live performance by Ellie Goulding for the American Express Unstaged series, which has seen actors and directors like Werner Herzog, Spike Lee, Fred Armisen and Steve Buscemi step behind the camera for music’s sake.
THE ROOM REVIVAL
James Franco and Seth Rogen are taking on beloved cult film The Room, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Widely considered one of the worst movies ever made, Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 drama (in which he stars and directs) has attracted rowdy audiences across North America for special screenings during which audiences shouted in unison, dressed up and brought props. In The Disaster Artist, which follows the making of The Room, James will take the director’s chair and Seth is in talks to star. The hilarious duo has collaborated on many outlandish projects (think The Interview and Pineapple Express) in past years.
NICOLE KIDMAN IS A WOMAN SCORNED
Adrian Lyne (Lolita, Fatal Attraction, Flashdance) has found a leading lady in Nicole Kidman for his latest suspense thriller, The Silent Wife. According to Deadline, the actress will take on the role of Jodi, a wife whose husband leaves her for a younger woman and the dangerous breakdown that ensues. Adapted from the wildly popular book by A.S.A. Harrison, the gripping tale will be produced by Nicole’s Blossom Films.
