We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this afternoon.  First up, Jennifer Aniston has joined the large cast of director Peter Bogdanovich’s (The Last Picture Show) upcoming film She’s Funny That Way (previously referred to as Squirrels to the Nuts).  The film stars Brie Larson as a hooker-turned-Broadway-thesp and follows the recurring intersection between these two facets of her life.  Owen Wilson plays a married Broadway director who falls for Larson’s character, and The Wrap reports that Aniston has signed on to play a therapist with a mother in rehab for alcoholism.

Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach are producing, and the impressive ensemble cast also includes Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hahn, Eugene Levy, and Cybil Shepherd.  Production is set to get underway in New York City in June.  Hit the jump for casting news regarding Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt’s next film.

The feature film adaptation of Jonathan Tropper’s novel This is Where I Leave You is picking up some steam.  The project was initially gearing up to begin production last spring under director Adam Shankman with an ensemble cast that included Jason Bateman, Zac Efron, Goldie Hawn, Leslie Mann, Malin Akerman, and Jason Sudeikis, but Shankman subsequently exited the project and casting deals were never completed, so movement stalled.  Shawn Levy came onboard to direct last fall, and now Bateman is back on the project as the search to fill out the rest of the cast begins in anticipation of a May or June production start date.

The book tells the story of a dysfunctional family that is forced to reunite when their father requests they sit Shivah for seven days following his death, and the feature film adaptation has attracted a great deal of talent, with Harry Potter director David Yates previously flirting with the project.  Hit the jump to find out which actresses are currently testing for roles opposite Bateman.

Kathryn Hahn is an amazing comic actress who has yet to receive the widespread recognition she deserves.  She’s mostly been stuck in supporting parts, but she’s a scene stealer, and she deserves to be in lead roles.  She finally gets that opportunity in Jill Soloway‘s Afternoon Delight.  Hahn proves that not only can she carry the picture, but she has the dramatic range to play a woman who is looking for a change of pace in order to fix her life.  Soloway puts a fascinating relationship at the center of the movie, and for two-thirds of the film it looks like she has made a confident feature debut.  But then a sequence comes along that drowns the movie in sorrow, and grinds it to a halt to where not even Hahn’s performance can save it.

The Sundance Film Festival recently announced the promising lineups for a few of the festival’s categories, and we’ve now got the first images from some films that will be playing in competition as part of the U.S. Dramatic category.  Briefly:

• Afternoon Delight – Written and directed by Jill Soloway, starring Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, and Jane Lynch.
• Ain’t Them Bodies Saints – Written and directed by David Lowery, starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, and Keith Carradine.
• C.O.G. – Written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, starring Jonathan Groff, Denis O’Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson, and Troian Bellisario.
• Concussion – Written and directed by Stacie Passon, starring Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Jonathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney, and Laila Robins.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17 – 27.

Back in July, we reported that Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) was lining up the 2011 Black List comedy Bad Words as his directorial debut.  We’re happy to say that the production has officially begun and the supporting cast has been significantly rounded out. In addition to Bateman in the lead, the indie comedy will feature Allison Janney (The Help), Kathryn Hahn (Our Idiot Brother), Ben Falcone (Bridesmaids), Philip Baker Hall (Argo), and Rohan Chandz (Jack and Jill).  Andrew Dodge’s comedic script centers on a high-school drop-out (Bateman) who uses a loophole to compete in an 8th grade spelling bee, enraging teachers and parents alike, but befriending an awkward young contestant along the way.  Hit the jump for much more on Bad Words.

Late last week, Adult Swim aired The Greatest Event in Television History.  The central conceit of the special was that Adam Scott and Jon Hamm were starring in a $25 million shot-for-shot remake of the opening credits for Simon & Simon, dubbed “The Greatest Event in Television History.”  The special hilariously shows the “making of” the project, with Paul Rudd as the event’s cantankerous director and Hamm refusing to speak to Scott.

The special, directed by Scott, was actually hatched when Hamm and Scott had been emailing each other the opening credits to various TV shows and Scott suggested they do a shot-for-shot remake of Simon & Simon.  The result is over 10 minutes of hilarity, with cameos by folks like Kathryn Hahn, Paul Scheer and—best of all—director Gus Van Sant.  The entire special is now available online, and I highly suggest you hit the jump to take a look.

We’ve got some quick casting stories to report today.  First up, Kathryn Hahn and Emma Roberts have joined Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston in the long-in-development pot comedy We’re the Millers.  Directed by Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball), the film centers on “a pot dealer (Sudeikis) who pulls together a hooker pretending to be his wife (Aniston) and two kids to pose as an RV road-tripping family so that he can smuggle 1000 pounds of pot cross country.”  It sounds like a fun premise, especially since it sounds like the nightmare of an over-zealous DEA agents (“…must stop…family road trips…because of the drugs…”).  Will Poulter (Son of Rambow) recently signed on to play the fake son, and Deadline is now reporting that Roberts will play the daughter.  As for the scene-stealing Hahn, Variety reports she’ll play the wife of a vacationing DEA agent.  Ed Helms and Nick Offerman also have supporting roles in the flick.

Filming on We’re the Millers begins next week in North Carolina. Hit the jump for casting news on the action movie White House Down and the indie flick The Lifeguard.

We’ve got some new casting updates for you today, including a found-footage film tracking Bigfoot and a new project from Ben Stiller. Here they are at a glance:

• The Blair Witch Project director Eduardo Sanchez has added Dora Madison Burge, Samuel Davis, Roger Edwards, Chris Osborn and Denise Williamson to his Bigfoot found-footage film, Exists.
• Kathryn Hahn (Wanderlust) has joined Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Hit the jump for more on both projects. [Update: We've been sent the full press release for Exists, which is now included after the jump.]

Opening next Friday is David Wain’s (Role Models) new comedy Wanderlust, and Universal has released a last-minute red band trailer for the pic. My ticket was already sold simply because I’m a big fan of Wain, Paul Rudd, and everyone involved, but this red band trailer reaffirms that Wanderlust is poised to be an incredibly funny flick. If you’re worried about this trailer spoiling all the good jokes, rest assured that there are only a couple new bits sprinkled in with the material we’ve seen previously.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Malin Akerman, Kathryn Hahn, and Alan Alda. Wanderlust opens in 2D on February 24th.

Before Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) came along to have a nerdy love affair with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) on Parks & Recreation, there was an adorable but failed romance the potential city council member had with police officer David Sanderson played by comedian Louis C.K. Now TV Line has word that he will return to the show for the first time since leaving to take a new job in San Diego. Is there a chance there could be some competition between Ben and Dave to bring about a romantic rumble in Pawnee? Since both of the suitors are rather timid and non-confrontational, we might just be looking at an awkward festival rather than a brawl. Either way, bringing Louis C.K. back to the show is good news.

In addition, TV Line also has another report saying Kathryn Hahn, star of NBC’s canceled series Free Agents will show up early next year as a political operative who works for another candidate in the race for City Council, so it sounds like she’ll be facing off against Leslie in the race. Hahn is a truly gifted comedic actress with turns in films like Step Brothers and Our Idiot Brother, and having her as part of the opposition in the City Council race should make for some hilarity.

The trailer for David Wain‘s Wanderlust has gone online.  The movie focuses on Manhattan couple George and Linda (Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston) who are forced to move to Atlanta when George loses his job.  Moving to Atlanta is apparently a fate so terrible that it causes Aniston to scream at the heavens.  The two then move around to various locations until they land on a commune and start to feel renewed.  It looks like For Better or Worse or Did You Hear About the Morgans? if either of those movies were funny.  Wain delivered a great little gem with Role Models and it’s tough to go wrong when you throw in The State alum like Ken Marino and Joe Lo Truglio.  There’s a bunch of great jokes in the trailer, and it isn’t even a red-band version.  Color me excited for this flick.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The great cast also includes Justin Theroux, Malin Akerman, Ray Liotta, Lauren Ambrose, Kathryn Hahn, and Alan Alda.  Wanderlust opens February 24, 2012. [We've updated the article with new images which you can check out after the jump.]

The network was pretty pleased with Whitney and Up All Night when they made full-season orders earlier this week, but their third freshmen comedy series apparently wasn’t as impressive. Deadline reports the network has pulled the plug on Free Agents, the romantic comedy series starring Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn. Honestly, this wasn’t a hard cut to see coming. Not only were the ratings low, but the show just didn’t pack much of a comedy punch despite someone like Azaria in the lead and some decent supporting performances from comedians Al Madrigal and Natasha Leggero. This is NBC’s second cancellation after axing their hour-long period drama The Playboy Club earlier this week. Stay tuned as more networks continue to clean house and figure out which new series will stick around for the full season.

Four clips from Our Idiot Brother have gone online.  I dug the film when I saw it at Sundance (back when it was called “My Idiot Brother”–to hell with you, Possessive Singular!) and it’s a great showcase for Rudd who is too often stuck playing the straight man.  The film’s also got a terrific supporting cast that includes Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn, and T.J. Miller (who steals almost every scene he’s in).

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  Our Idiot Brother opens August 26th.

Paul Rudd is a talented actor who has recently become typecast as “The Cynical Straight Man”.  He’s recently been seen throwing sarcastic comments next to a wacky friend in movies like Role Models, I Love You Man, and Dinner for Schmucks despite showcasing his versatility in movies like Anchorman and The Shape of Things.  My Idiot Brother gives Rudd the chance to play the complete opposite of his unfortunate typecasting and the result is a warm, funny, and completely winning performance.  Bolstered by a strong supporting cast, My Idiot Brother goes for broad laughs but with Rudd as the film’s heart, those laughs always feel earned.

The cast for writer-director David Wain’s new comedy Wanderlust is filling out and it’s been quite impressive. Wain co-wrote and directed Paul Rudd in Role Models, which I feel was the best comedy of 2008. Now Variety is reporting that Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan, Step Brothers) will join Wain and Rudd in Wanderlust, and I can’t wait to see what wild antics she will undoubtedly have. Meanwhile, news about the World War I drama Four Saints from multi-talented Jean-Pierre Isbouts has arrived. Variety reports that Lorena Rincon, Rhona Mitra, Selma Blair, and Melanie Lynskey will topline the upcoming war drama written and directed by Isbouts. Hit the jump for further details on the cast of Wanderlust and what Four Saints is all about.