* After starring in emotionally devastating dramas A Prophet and The Past, Tahar Rahim is taking on something lighter with the Christmas comedy, Le Pere Noel. Directed by Alexandre Coffre, the film "begins one evening on 24 December. More than anything else in the world, six-year-old Antoine wants to have a sleigh ride through the sky with Father Christmas… So when, as if by magic, Father Christmas lands on his balcony, the child is too amazed to see through Santa’s disguise and realise that he is actually a burglar who will not let anyone get in the way of his night’s work. Each in search of his own dream, “Father Christmas” and his apprentice team up for one night only to scale the Parisian rooftops and steal the riches contained within the handsome, deserted apartments.” So a French Bad Santa, basically? Sounds good to me. [Cineuropa]
* One of the last big developments on HBO's Entourage was the promotion of Ari Gold's tortured assistant, Lloyd. That means Ari's in need of a new assistant to make miserable, and that role will be filled by rapper Kid Cudi aka Scott Mescudi. He joins Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as new additions to the Entourage family, with director Doug Ellin and all of the original cast returning. Cudi will be seen next in Need for Speed opposite Aaron Paul.
* Brittany Snow and William H. Macy are in talks for the indie comedy, Dial-A-Prayer, from actress/director Maggie Kiley. While Macy's role is unknown, Snow will play " a young woman named Cora who is sentenced to community service working in a prayer request call center. She discovers a sense of accomplishment from the work until she finds out a boy she thinks she helped save is hiding a secret from her." Snow recently agreed to return for Pitch Perfect 2, while Macy was just at Sundance premiering Rudderless, his directorial debut. [THR]
