The first trailer for director Stephen Sommers’ adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel Odd Thomas has made its way online.  The story centers on a short-order cook who can commune with the dead, with Anton Yelchin starring as the titular character.  It’s a uniquely “small” film for Sommers following the director’s previous tentpoles like Van Helsing, The Mummy, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but he appears to be delving in similar territory as the more supernatural aspects of Odd Thomas are grounded by a healthy dose of humor and charisma from Yelchin.  The pic looks to strike a vibe similar to Men in Black or Beetlejuice, and it’s a bit too early to tell if it succeeds or not, but Yelchin’s starring turn sure is promising.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Willem Dafoe, Addison Timlin, Nico Tortorella, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Patton Oswalt.  Odd Thomas opens in theaters later this year.

As Cannes roles on, more deals are being made, and that means there’s new casting new announce.  First up, Variety reports that Maggie Gyllenhaal will star in the supernatural thriller Voice from the Stone.  Directed by Eric Howell and based off the Italian novel, Le Voce Della Pietra, the story has Gyllenhaal playing “a nurse drawn to the aid of a young boy who is haunted by malevolent forces within the walls of an old house in the Italian countryside. As she develops a relationship with the father of the boy, she also becomes haunted by the same evil presence and must fight to save herself and the boy.”  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Don’t help haunted children.  Gyllenhaal is currently filming the drama Still I Rise with Viola Davis and she’s attached to star in Hysteria opposite Hugh Dancy, and a biopic of musician Bill Monroe.

Hit the jump for awful casting news regarding Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

Anton Yelchin is certainly one of Hollywood’s fastest rising young actors, with an eclectic resume made up of varied and interesting characters, in both big studio blockbusters and small indie dramas. In The Beaver, he plays Porter Black, the oldest son of a very depressed man (Mel Gibson), who turns to a puppet to find the ability to communicate with his family, friends and business associates. In the remake of Fright Night (due out in theaters on August 19^th), he plays a teenager who is convinced that his new neighbor (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. And, before he returns to the role of Chekov in the sequel to Star Trek, he will take on the title role of Odd Thomas, about a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities who tries to prevent crime.

During a recent exclusive interview with Collider, that was done at the press day for The Beaver, Anton Yelchin talked about why he wanted to do the film, how it took longer to unwind from taking on such intense subject matter, and how much he enjoyed working with both Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson. He also talked about how he’s looking forward to returning to Chekov and getting to read the Star Trek 2 script, and what attracted him to Odd Thomas, which he starts filming soon. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you this evening. First up, the cast for Stephen Sommers’ adapatation of the Dean Koontz novel Odd Thomas continues to fill out, with Undercovers star Gugu Mbatha-Raw being the latest actor to join the film. Odd Thomas stars Anton Yelchin as the eponymous character who is able to see and partially communicate with the dead. Addison Timlin is poised to play his girlfriend, and Variety reports that Mbatha-Raw will play her best friend. The cast now includes Nico Tortorella and Patton Oswalt, with Willem Dafoe in talks to play the local police chief.

Additionally, Michael B. Jordan (TV’s Friday Night Lights) and Alex Russell have been tapped as the leads in Fox’s supernatural drama alongside Dane DeHaan. Variety reports that plot details are under wraps, but the story apparently centers on “three Portland teens after they develop powers from exposure to a mysterious substance.” Josh Trank (The Kill Point) will make his feature directorial debut on the project, from a script by Max Landis. Chronicle is slated for a February 3, 2012 release.

Stephen Sommers’ Odd Thomas continues to round up an impressive cast despite being based on a Dean Koontz novel.  The film stars Anton Yelchin the eponymous character who is able to see and partially communicate with the dead.  In addition to rising stars Addison Timlin (Californication) and Nico Tortorella (Scream 4), Willem Dafoe is in talks to join and now Variety reports that Patton Oswalt “will play Oswald “Ozzie” P. Boone, an eccentric artist who designs sculptures, including a steel pendant that the titular clairvoyant hero wears around his neck.”  Production on Odd Thomas is slated to begin next month in New Mexico.

Oswalt will be seen in theaters later this year in Jason Reitman’s Young Adult and the comedy A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas.  He’s also recording a new CD/DVD/Showtime special on May 14th in Seattle.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of Odd Thomas.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you this evening. First up, Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) has joined the cast of David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. The film stars Robert Pattinson as a newlywed billionaire who loses his his entire fortune (not to mention his blushing new bride) over the course of one really bad day. Variety reports that Durand will play Pattinson’s chief security officer. The cast now includes Pattinson, Jay Baruchel, Samantha Morton, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, Mathieu Amalric and Sarah Gadon.

Next up, Scream 4 star Nico Tortorella is in talks to join Stephen Sommers’ (The Mummy) adaptation of Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas as the villain. The story centers on a short-order cook who can commune with the dead. Anton Yelchin is set to play the protagonist, with Willem Dafoe poised to play the local police chief who is in on the cook’s secret. Heat Vision reports that Tortorella would play an officer under Dafoe’s character who is secretly “a member of a Satanic cult bent on destroying the town.” Addison Timlin is poised to play Yelchin’s girlfriend. Hit the jump for a synopsis of the book.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you today, both involving adaptations of books. First up, Variety reports that Tobey Maguire is re-teaming with director Ang Lee for his adaptation of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. The story centers on a boy named Pi who gets stranded for 227 days with a tiger. Maguire will play the man who interviews the adult Pi about his experience. The cast for the 3D film now includes newcomer Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan (In Treatment), Adil Hussain (Calendar Girls), and Gerard Depardieu. The film is slated for a December 14^th, 2012 release.

Additionally, Willem Dafoe is in talks to join director Stephen Sommers’ (The Mummy) adaptation of the Dean Koontz supernatural thriller Odd Thomas. The film centers on a short-order cook who can commune with the dead. Heat Vision reports that Dafoe is in talks to play a local police chief. Anton Yelchin and Addison Timlin are poised to star in the film. Shooting is set to start in New Mexico later this spring. Hit the jump for a synopsis of both Life of Pi and Odd Thomas.

Lily Collins was poised to land the female lead in the feature adaptation of Dean Koontz novel Odd Thomas.  In the days since the report, with the upcoming shoot of The Mortal Instruments to still fresh on her mind, Collins was cast as Snow White in The Brothers Grimm: Snow White. And so director Stephen Sommers (G.I. Joe) must look elsewhere for his Stormy Llewellyn.

Variety reports that Addison Timlin (Californication) has emerged from a shortlist that also includes Emma Roberts, Kat Dennings, and Portia Doubleday in addition to Collins.  Stormy is the girlfriend of the titular Thomas (Anton Yelchin), “a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities who encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark, threatening forces.”  The story is set in a California desert town; Odd Thomas will shoot in Santa Fe, New Mexico with a May 2 start date.  Read the book synopsis after the jump.

Lily Collins (The Blind Side) is the frontrunner to play Stormy Llewellyn in a feature adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel Odd Thomas.  Variety reports that Collins has emerged from a shortlist for the role that also included Emma Roberts, Kat Dennings, Portia Doubleday, and Addison Timlin.  Anton Yelchin (Star Trek) stars as Thomas, “a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities who encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark, threatening forces.”  The story is set in a California desert town; Odd Thomas will shoot in Santa Fe, New Mexico in May under the direction of Stephen Sommers (G.I. Joe).

Read the book synopsis after the jump.

Anton Yelchin is set to star in the adaptation of Dean Koontz’ Odd Thomas.  Directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy), the book centers “Odd Thomas”, a young man who is able to see and partially communicate with the dead.  Thomas can speak to the ghosts but they can’t speak to him.  There have been four Odd Thomas books since 2003 plus a graphic novel prequel.  Bloody Disgusting doesn’t specify if Sommers’ adaptation will pull from all the novels or only from the first book.

Hit the jump for a synopsis of Odd Thomas.  Yelchin will next be seen in Jodie Foster’s The Beaver and in Craig Gillespie’s 3D remake of Fright Night.