Casting deals at the Berlin Film Festival are heating up, and three more movies have put together some quality name talent.

First up, Nicolas Cage is set to plead Mario Van Peebles' World War II survival drama USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage.  The film is based on the true story of the USS Indianapolis, a ship that was torpedoed in the South Pacific in July 1945 after delivering parts of the first atomic bomb.  Per Variety:

Of 1,196 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 went down with the ship, while the rest faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning, and shark attacks as they waited for assistance.  Only 317 sailors survived.

Cage will play Captain Charles Butler McVay, who was court-martials, and then exonerated more than half a century later.

Three years ago, we reported that Warner Bros. was also working on a USS Indianapolis film with Robert and Susan Downey to produce.  However, WB's adaptation included the life rights to Hunter Scott, who helped exonerate McVay.  Peebles version sounds more like takes place entirely in 1945 rather than cutting between 1945 and Scott's work.

Moving on, Lena Dunham, Diane Kruger, Norman Reedus, and Gilles Lellouche are starring in Fabienne Berthaud's thriller/road movie Sky.  According to Variety, "Kruger stars as Romy, who goes with her husband (Lellouche) on a trip to California and accidentally kills him during a violent fight. She flees the scene and embarks on a life-changing solo trip across California and Nevada."

I really hope they're selling this as "Wild with murder."

Filming is currently underway.

Finally, Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots will play the title roles in the romantic thriller Frank and Lola.  Per the press release, the film "follows a talented Las Vegas chef named Frank (Shannon) and a promising young fashion designer named Lola (Poots) who fall deeply in love. But when Lola’s shocking past – and her present demons – begin to reveal themselves, it sets off a chain of events that threaten to destroy them both."

I don't have any other details on the plot, but if I had to guess, I assume Lola invented something like the Urban Sombrero.  That would be a shocking past for a fashion designer.

Matthew Ross’ film will also star Michael Nyqvist, Justin Long, Rosanna Arquette, and Emmanuelle Devos.