We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share with you this afternoon. First up, Variety reports that Amanda Peet is the third person to join the cast of the comedy Identity Thief. Briesmaids star Melissa McCarthy plays a woman who steals a man’s identity (Jason Bateman), and hilarity ensues. Plot details beyond the basic logline are unknown, but Bateman and McCarthy make an enticing comedic pair. Throw the lovely Amanda Peet into the mix and you’ve got yourself the makings of a promising comedy.

I’ve been a big fan of Peet’s work for years, with her stint on the short-lived Aaron Sorkin series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip a standout on the show. Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon is onboard to direct Identity Thief is set to open on May 10th, 2013. Hit the jump for casting news concerning the Black List script The Pretty One.

Additionally, Deadline reports that Zoe Kazan (It’s Complicated, Bored to Death) and New Girl star Jake Johnson have been tapped to lead The Pretty One. The script was shortlisted on the 2011 Black List and concerns “an awkward but loveable young woman who is mistaken for her dead ‘perfect’ identical twin, and seizes the chance to masquerade as her sister. But when she falls in love with her twin’s eccentric next door neighbor, she finds herself wanting to live her own imperfect life, and have the truth come out.” Jenee LaMarque penned the script and will make her directorial debut on the offbeat comedy.

Johnson routinely kills on the Fox comedy New Girl and I’m eager to see him in more feature roles. He was a highlight of the incredibly funny 21 Jump Street and stars in the Sundance comedy Safety Not Guaranteed which hits theaters later this year. You may recognize Kazan from her acting roles, but she’s also a burgeoning screenwriter. She wrote the script for He Loves Me, in which she also stars alongside Antonio Banderas and Steve Coogan. Actingwise, she’ll appear in the Joss Whedon-scripted In Your Eyes and Neil LaBute’s Some Girls.