Wow, Vin Diesel isn't messing around about his return to the XXX franchise. The cast he's surrounded himself is shaping up to be pretty awesome with Samuel L. Jackson, Deepika Padukone, UFC champ Conor McGregor, oh, and Jet Li and Tony Jaa. Now you can add The Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev and Orange is the New Black's Ruby Rose to the action flick. DJ Caruso is directing the film which stars Diesel as the world's most extreme secret agent. Filming is set to begin later this month. [THR]
Rising star Joey King, who will be seen later this year in Independence Day: Resurgence, has joined the indie drama, January Rain, which deals with the impact of Alzheimer's. The film was conceived by star Anthony Thorne, who plays
a writer who returns home to care for his estranged father, a victim of the disease. King plays his sister who is battles her own demons while coping with the situation.David Venghaus will direct what is being called a very personal project for those involved. [TheTrackingBoard]
Scott Haze, who was great in James Franco's Child of God and has a role in Franco's Sound and the Fury (which features Joey King, coincidentally), has landed a plum gig. He'll join Miles Teller and Haley Bennett in Thank You for Your Service, an adaptation of David Finkel's book about Iraq War soldiers struggling to adjust to civilian life. The film will mark the directorial debut of American Sniper screenwriter Jason Dean Hall.
Wow, some guys have all the luck. After co-starring with Jenny Slate in Obvious Child then Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Carol, Jake Lacy now joins Jessica Chastain in Miss Sloane. The gun control drama also stars Alison Pill (Snowpiercer) and centers on a lobbyist pushing for stricter federal regulations on guns. John Madden is directing from a screenplay by newcomer Jonathan Perera. Next up for Lacy is the fifth season of HBO's Girls, plus roles in the films Their Finest Hour and a Half and romn-com How to be Single. [TheWrap]
And finally, Laura Prepon (Orange is the New Black, That 70s Show) has scored a role as Emily Blunt's roommate in The Girl On the Train. The best-selling adaptation of Paula Hawkins' thriller novel stars Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez, and Allison Janney, centering on a troubled woman who becomes obsessed with the idyllic couple she passes during her daily commute. Directed by Tate Taylor, the film is set to open on October 7th.
