Kevin Costner Joins 'Hidden Figures', 'Flatliners' Remake Adds Diego Luna, Josh Hartnett Goes '6 Below'

Kevin Costner, who recently starred in the racially-charged drama Black or White, has joined another film with race issues at its center. He'll star alongside Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer in NASA drama Hidden Figures, about African-American mathematician Katherine Johnson, who along with her colleagues played a pivotal role in the successful launch and return of astronaut John Glenn in 1962. Costner will play the head of the NASA space program. Ted Melfi (St. Vincent) is set to direct based on Allison Schroeder's adaptation Margot Lee Shetterly's book. [Variety]

The remake of 1990 cult classic Flatliners may be adding Diego Luna to the cast. Luna would join Ellen Page in the horror film, directed by Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and written by Source Code's Ben Ripley.  The original film centered on a group of ambitious medical students experimenting with near-death experiences, until they bring something terrible back from the other side. Ripley plans to bring a sci-fi twist to the story but what exactly that means is unclear.  Luna has a lot on his plate this year.His most recent directorial effort, Mr. Pig, recently played at Sundance, and he also has a role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Josh Hartnett (Penny Dreadful) has signed on to star as Olympic hockey player Eric LeMarque in 6 Below, a survival drama directed by Scott Waugh (Act of Valor). The true story centers on LeMargue, who became lost in a brutal snowstorm and had to survive for eight days while stranded, all while battling drug addiction and self-destructive behavior. [Deadline]