Principal photography has begun on Anton Corbijn‘s adaptation of John le Carre‘s A Most Wanted Man.  The plot revolves around a near-dead half-Chechen, half Russian man on the run in Hamburg’s Islamic community, and looking to recover his father’s ill-gotten fortune, which attracts the attention of German and U.S. security agencies.  We previously reported that Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, and Robin Wright were on board, and the press release has announced that Willem Dafoe is attached as well.  The press release also lists the German actors co-starring in the production.  Among them is rising star Daniel Brühl, who is starring opposite Chris Hemsworth in Ron Howard‘s upcoming Formula One racing drama, Rush.

Hit the jump for the press release.

Here’s today’s casting news in brief with details to follow:

• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has added Stephanie Leigh Schlund (The Last Song) to their list of tributes.  Schlund will star opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the Francis Lawrence-directed sequel.
• August: Osage County brings in Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) to join the family that already features Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Juliette Lewis.
• Robin Wright (The Princess Bride) is being courted to star in A Most Wanted Man, an adaptation of the John le Carre novel scripted by Andrew Bovell and directed by Anton Corbijn.

Hit the jump for more details on each project.

Earlier this week, we showed you the first image of Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace in Brian DePalma‘s Passion.  I’m always happy when we have McAdams news to report, and we now have some casting news regarding the talented actress.  According to THR, McAdams is signed on to star in About Time for director Richard Curtis (Love Actually) and A Most Wanted Man for Anton Corbijn (The American).  Per THR, About Time is a “fantastical feel-good movie about a man (rising star Domhnall Gleeson) and his ability to travel back in time. He eventually meets the girl of his dreams (McAdams, who clearly likes playing characters who fall for time-travelers).  The film also stars Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie, Lydia Wilson, and Vanessa Kirby.  Filming is set to begin in London in June.

Hit the jump for more on A Most Wanted Man.  McAdams will hopefully be seen later this year in Terrence Malick‘s untitled feature co-starring Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem, and Rachel Weisz.

In June, we reported that Anton Corbijn (The American) was set to adapt John le Carré‘s novel, A Most Wanted Man.  Today, Variety reports that Philip Seymour Hoffman is set to play the lead, “a near-dead half-Chechen, half Russian man on the run [who] in the city’s Islamic community desperate for help and looking to recover his late Russian father’s ill-gotten fortune.  A young female lawyer and private British banker become entwined in his fate and all the while, they are being watched by a covert German spy unit.”

I was impressed at how Corbijn turned the thriller-premise of The American into a quiet, meditative drama, and I’m curious to see if he’ll take the same approach with A Most Wanted Man.  Shooting is expected to begin this September in Hamburg.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of le Carré’s novel.

By Wikipedia’s count, seven John le Carré novels have been adapted into films.  An eighth, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, is on the way.  According to THR, director Anton Corbijn (The American) will bring us the ninth.  Corbijn has signed on to direct A Most Wanted Man from a screenplay by Andrew Bovell (Edge of Darkness).  The story centers on a Muslim illegal immigrant caught up in the international war on terror.  The novel is loosely based on Murat Kurnaz, who was imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay for several years before release without charge in 2006.

The Amusement Park Films production is expected to begin shooting this winter in Hamburg.  Read the official book synopsis after the jump.