Often the scene-stealing supporting player in everything from Gangster Squad to Ant-Man, lead roles have been rare for Michael Pena. His last one was in the underwhelming Cesar Chavez, but he's just lined up a new one. He'll star in the Jeremy Renner-produced action flick, The Worker, which sounds like Taken crossed with Machete. He plays an ex-Special Forces agent whose family is kidnapped by a cartel, and he must rely on his elite fighting skills, raw nerve, and resourcefulness to get them back. Dan Bradley (Red Dawn) is directing.
Rooney Mara is in talks for a film that should be slightly less violent than Pena's. She's in negotiations to play Mary Magdalene in an upcoming biopic from director Garth Davis, who she worked with on the upcoming film, Lion. The film plans to be an authentic look at Jesus' devoted follower, who some say witnessed his death and rebirth. Rooney joins the long list of actresses who have played Magdalene. Most recently it was Monica Bellucci in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. [Deadline]
