A few casting notices:

• Daniel Radcliffe is attached to star in You Shall Know Our Velocity, director Peter Sollett's (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) adaptation of the Dave Eggers novel.
• Nicolas Cage will star in the contemporary political drama The Runner, the feature directorial debut of Austin Stark (Detachment).
• Djimon Hounsou and Alexis Knapp are attached to star in the action/adventure One, written and directed by Murali Thalluri (2:37).

See the press releases after the jump for more details on each project.

You Shall Know Our Velocity

DANIEL RADCLIFFE ATTACHED TO STAR IN PROCESS AND BENAROYA PICTURES’ ‘YOU SHALL KNOW OUR VELOCITY’ TO BE DIRECTED BY PETER SOLLETT AND BASED ON DAVE EGGERS’ BEST-SELLING NOVEL 

INTERNATIONAL FILM TRUST TO HANDLE FOREIGN RIGHTS

CANNES May 17 2014 – Daniel Radcliffe (KILL YOUR DARLINGS, HARRY POTTER film series) is attached to star in Peter Sollett’s (NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST) comedy YOU SHALL KNOW OUR VELOCITY based on Dave Eggers’ best-selling novel.  The film is produced by Tim Perell (SHORTBUS, LAST CHANCE HARVEY) for Process and Michael Benaroya (MARGIN CALL, KILL YOUR DARLINGS) for Benaroya Pictures.  The announcement was made today by International Film Trust’s (IFT) co-founder Michael Benaroya and IFT’s President Christian de Gallegos who will handle all international rights to the film.

CAA and UTA are representing the domestic sales rights on YOU SHALL KNOW OUR VELOCITY.

Currently in pre-production and scheduled to start shooting in spring of 2015, YOU SHALL KNOW OUR VELOCITY is written by Wells Tower and centers around two mismatched friends, Will (Radcliffe), bookish and lovingly awkward, and Hand, bold and a self-proclaimed ladies’ man, who set out on a two week trip, equipped with round-the-world plane tickets and a $32,000 insurance payoff from their friend’s ill-fated car accident. The goal is to randomly, clumsily giveaway the windfall to those in need while taking their friend’s ashes to the Pyramids. Their journey takes them from Senegal to Morocco to Riga and finally Egypt with trouble waiting at every step of the way.

“Dave Eggers is a gifted story-teller and we are thrilled to be turning his hilarious yet poignant story of two best friends travelling the world into a feature film,” said producer and IFT co-founder Michael Benaroya.

“Playing the lead character in the biggest film franchise of all time, Daniel Radcliffe has managed to successfully establish himself as one of the most versatile actors of his generation and he is perfect to play Will in Peter Sollett’s nomadic comedy adventure,” said Christian de Gallegos.

Since completing the final installment in the series of eight HARRY POTTER films in 2010, Radcliffe has continued to prove himself a diverse and acclaimed talent. In 2011 he starred in a ten month sell-out run of the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and in 2012 Radcliffe starred in Hammer’s THE WOMAN IN BLACK, which has since become the most successful British horror film of all time, in addition to box office success in the US. Notably, Radcliffe made his west end and Broadway debuts in Peter Shaffer’s Equus in 2008/09.

Peter Sollett was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, Best Film and Best Screenplay (shared with Eva Vives) for his critically acclaimed film RAISING VICTOR VARGAS which had its world premiere at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.  He also directed the romantic comedy NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST starring Kat Dennings and Michael Cera.

Tim Perell produced SHORTBUS which premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and earned him and fellow producer, Howard Gertler, the Independent Spirit Award for Producer of the Year.  His other feature film credits include A.C.O.D starring Amy Poehler, Adam Scott and Richard Jenkins, LAST CHANCE HARVEY starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, Bobcat Goldthwait’s WORLD’S GREATEST DAD starring Robin Williams, and TRUST THE MAN starring David Duchovny, Julianne Moore and Billy Crudup. His upcoming film LOVE PUNCH, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan and will be released in 2014 by Ketchup Entertainment.

Dave Eggers is the best-selling author of The Circle and A Hologram for the King, which was a 2012 National Book Award Finalist and which is making its cinematic debut in 2015, directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Tom Hanks. His best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and his novel What is the What was winner of France’s Prix Medici.  Eggers also co-wrote WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE with Spike Jonze, based on Maurice Sendak’s best-selling children’s book.

Wells Tower is the author of the short story collection Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned. His short stories and journalism have appeared in GQ, The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Paris Review, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, and The Washington Post Magazine. In 2010 Tower was named by The New Yorker magazine's "20 under 40" luminary fiction writers.

Radcliffe is represented by Sue Latimer at ARG in the UK and by UTA in the U.S. and attorney Fred Toczek.

The Runner

NICOLAS CAGE TO STAR IN AUSTIN STARK’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT “THE RUNNER”

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 16, 2014 – Paper Street Films and Back Lot Pictures announced today Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage will star in the contemporary political drama, “The Runner.” The film marks producer Austin Stark’s writing and directing debut. Over the past few years, Stark has produced and executive produced several successful independent films including this year’s Sundance hit “Infinitely Polar Bear” starring Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana and the Sundance 2010 Audience Award winner “Happythankyoumoreplease,” starring Josh Radnor and Kate Mara. “The Runner” will be produced by Benji Kohn, Bingo Gubelmann, and Chris Papavasiliou for Paper Street Films and Glenn Williamson for Back Lot Pictures and executive produced by Ruth Mutch, Noah Millman, Sam Bisbee, Tom Conigliaro and Erika Hampson. Production is set for New Orleans on June 23, 2014.

In the aftermath of the tragic 2010 BP oil spill, Colin Price (Nicolas Cage), an idealistic but flawed New Orleans congressman, is forced to confront his dysfunctional life after his career is destroyed in a sex scandal.

Writer / Director Austin Stark stated, “For my first film as a director, I'm honored to be working alongside one of the finest living actors, Nicolas Cage. 'The Runner', a contemporary political drama, is new and exciting territory for Mr. Cage. I have no doubt he's going to deliver a powerful and poignant performance, as relevant as the film itself.”

Nicolas Cage, most recently seen in “Joe,” is represented by CAA, Mike Nilon at KLWGN, and Jake Bloom and Patrick Knapp at Bloom Hergott.

Austin Stark is a partner at Paper Street Films, a New York City film production and finance company.

One

OSCAR® NOMINATED DJIMON HOUNSOU AND ALEXIS KNAPP ATTACHED TO STAR IN ‘ONE’

MAIN STREET FILMS PRODUCING WITH MK CREATE AND THE KOJO GROUP

CANNES, May 17 2014 – Oscar® nominated Djimon Hounsou (BLOOD DIAMOND) and rising star Alexis Knapp (PITCH PERFECT) are attached to star in Main Street Films, MK Create and the Kojo Group’s action adventure ONE, written and directed by Murali Thalluri (2.37). The announcement came today by Main Street Films’ Chairman Craig Chang and President Harrison Kordestani, who are executive producing the film.

Main Street Films is co-producing and co-financing the film with Thalluri for MK Create and Kent Smith for the Kojo Group (Julie Bertuccelli’s THE TREE starring Charlotte Gainsbourg).  Greig Buckle (LORD OF WAR, CHRONICLE) of Enigma Pictures is serving as co-producer.  This is the first film to be produced under the South African and Australian co-production treaty launched in 2011.

Kathy Morgan International is handling worldwide sales.

Sammy Sheik (LONE SURVIVOR, TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON) has also joined the cast in a supporting role.  Casting is still ongoing and more names will be announced soon.

To be lensed by Lance Gewer (Oscar winning TSOTSI), production is scheduled to begin in 2014 on location in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. ONE is set in a post-apocalyptic world after a virus has wiped out 99% of humanity, leaving those who have survived divided into separate racial groups all fighting each other to find a cure to help their own. When Ava’s (Knapp) house is raided by Junaid soldiers, a group of racial minorities who have banded together, she is captured and sold to a medical research facility searching for a cure. When it becomes evident that Ava is immune to the virus she becomes not only the most valuable person on the planet, but the hope of the world.

“Murali Thalluri and Kent Smith are putting together a strong cast led by Djimon Hounsou, who always delivers exceptional performances, and rising star Alexis Knapp for this powerful and evocative film,” said Craig Chang.

“Taking the lead in this multi-layered film will give Alexis the opportunity to show off her talent as a dynamic actress and we are delighted to be partnering with Murali and Kent on this gripping film,” Kordestani added.

“We've assembled a very talented cast and crew who have elevated the vision beyond what I alone could imagine. This team is greater than the sum of its parts. I’m excited,” said Thalluri.

“Kojo and I are very excited to be involved in this unique project. Murali and I had a great partnership both critically and commercially on 2:37, and we look forward taking it to the next level with ONE,” said Smith.

Djimon Hounsou was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Jim Sheridan’s critically acclaimed IN AMERICA opposite Samantha Morton; and for his role in BLOOD DIAMOND opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.  Hounsou received a Golden Globe® nomination for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Golden Globe nominated AMISTAD opposite Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins.  His other film credits include Ridley Scott’s Oscar winning GLADIATOR opposite Russell Crow; and THE TEMPEST opposite Helen Mirren.  He will next be seen in DreamWorks’ HOW TO TAME YOUR DRAGON 2 opposite Kristen Wiig and Kit Harington; and Universal’s FAST & FURIOUS 7 starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.

Alexis Knapp recently starred in the box office smash hit PITCH PERFECT starring Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson. Her other film credits include COUPLES RETREAT starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau; Chris Columbus’ PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF starring Logan Lerman; and the box office hit PROJECT X.   She will next be seen in THE ANOMALY starring Golden Globe nominee Brain Cox and Liam Hemsworth.

Sammy Sheik was recently seen in Peter Berg’s box office smash hit LONE SURVIVOR starring Mark Wahlberg.  His other film credits include Michael Bay’s TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON starring Shia LaBeouf and Josh Duhamel and Golden Globe nominated CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.  His television credits include Showtime’s ‘United States of Tara’ created by Diablo Cody and starring Toni Collette and Showtime’s Golden Globe winning ‘Homeland.’ He will next be seen in Clint Eastwood’s AMERICAN SNIPER starring Bradley Cooper.

Murali Thalluri is a writer, director and producer whose directorial debut 2:37, starring Theresa Palmer (WARM BODIES) and Xavier Samuel (TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE), premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival in Official Selection before having its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.  He is currently developing feature film JEWEL set in India and Australia