Director Mike Cahill has assembled the cast for his follow-up to his 2011 Sundance hit Another Earth.  Deadline reports that Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire), Brit Marling (Sound of My Voice), Astrid Berges-Frisbey (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), and Emmy-winner Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) will star in I Origins.  Cahill wrote the screenplay, which centers on a molecular biologist and his brilliant lab partner who uncover “startling evidence that may fundamentally change society as we know it.”

Pitt will star as the biologist, and the premise sounds like it will tread territory similar to Another Earth, which was a grounded, character-centric story that was told within the confines of a sci-fi premise.  Marling co-wrote Another Earth with Cahill, but this one appears to be written solely by Cahill.  The actress will next be seen in the thriller The East, which she co-wrote with her Sound of My Voice co-writer/director Zal Batmanglij.

The nominations for the 27th Annual Independent Spirit Awards were announced this morning with The Artist and Take Shelter each nabbing five nominations. In addition to The Artist and Take Shelter, Drive, 50/50, The Descendants, and Beginners will duke it out for the top prize. Absent from the Best Feature list is Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, though the film was recognized in Best Supporting Male (Corey Stoll) and Best Cinematography. Also of note, Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes landed nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Male for Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Ryan Gosling and Woody Harrelson were both singled out in Best Actor for Drive and Rampart respectively.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominations. Recognizing the best in independent film, the awards will be handed out on February 25th, the day before the Oscars.

A new trailer and poster for the sci-fi drama Another Earth have gone online.  Rather than sit in the mold of sci-fi action-adventure, Another Earth takes a sci-fi concept (another Earth emerges from the other side of the sun and has other versions of ourselves) and uses it to explore an emotional drama.  I missed the film at Sundance but I have no intention of making that mistake again and plan to see it at this year’s Atlanta Film Festival.  This is a fantastic trailer and an intriguing premise.  Additionally, the film’s star and co-writer Brit Marling also co-wrote and starred in the acclaimed sci-fi drama Sound of My Voice, which was recently picked up for distribution by Fox Searchlight.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster for Another Earth.  The film opens July 22nd.

The teaser trailer and a couple of clips from Sundance darling Another Earth have gone online. The sci-fi film that centers on the discovery of a second Earth was one of the more buzzed about films at the festival this past January, winning the Special Jury Prize and securing distribution from Fox Searchlight. Breakout star/co-writer Brit Marling recently joined the cast of Nicholas Jarecki’s Arbitrage opposite Richard Gere.

Hit the jump the watch the teaser and clips. Another Earth stars William Mapother, Brit Marling, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, and Flint Beverage and will be released on July 22^nd.

With the 2011 Sundance Film Festival entering its second and final weekend, we have a few bits of new to bring you out of Park City, Utah.  First up, Mike Cahill’s sci-fi film Another Earth has been awarded the festival’s Alfred P. Sloan Award for its status as an “outstanding feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme, or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.”  The award carries with it a $20,000 cash award for Cahill and Co.  Briefly, Another Earth stars William Mapother and Brit Marling and centers on two strangers who strike up an unlikely love affair against the backdrop of the discovery of a duplicate Earth.

Next up are a couple of Sundance acquisitions and we begin with the annoucement that Focus Features has snatched up the rights to Dee Rees’ Pariah.  Starring Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, and Kim Wayans, the drama tells the story of a Bronx teenager who is charged with the difficult task of choosing between losing her best friend or destroying her family.  Lastly, New Video has acquired the David Sington documentary The Flaw.  Briefly, the economically-concerned project attempts to explain the underlying causes of current U.S. financial woes.  New Video will release The Flaw under its Docurama Films moniker via multiple platforms including a limited theatrical run, cable VOD, and DVD.

Hit the jump to check out the press releases.  Click here to catch up on all of our previous Sundance 2011 coverage.

Continuing our coverage of films that will be featured at the Sundance Film Festival in January, today we’re bringing you two films that will premiere in-competition at the festival: Another Earth and Pariah. Another Earth stars William Mapother, Brit Marling, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, and Flint Beverage. The film tells the story of two strangers who meet on the eve of when a duplicate Earth has been discovered, and the two strike up an unlikely love affair.

Pariah stars Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell, and Aasha Davis. The film focuses on a Bronx teenager who is forced to choose between losing her best friend or destroying her family. Hit the jump to check out images and a brief synopsis for each film. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.