Here’s today’s casting update:

• Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter series) is set to star in crime-thriller Tokyo Vice for music video/commercials director Anthony Mandler, scripted by playwright JT Rogers.
• Naomi Watts (King Kong) and Adam Driver (Girls) are in talks to join Ben Stiller (Zoolander) in the Noah Baumbach-directed midlife crisis comedy, While We’re Young.
• James D’Arcy (Cloud Atlas) and Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries) have joined the Luke Greenfield-directed comedy, Let’s Be Cops.

Hit the jump for more on each casting announcement.

For the first time, I’m writing from the comfort of my newly remodeled “mancave” or, as my wife likes to lovingly refer to it, the “nerdcave”. For a space that used to be an attached garage/dungeon, I have to say that the end result is pretty cozy. I guess there really are no living quarters that a substantial amount of time, money, and framed movie prints can’t fix. Now, if only I could find a way to fit and/or afford a mini-fridge, classic stand-up arcade games (i.e. The Simpsons, and X-Men), theater-style seating, and a projection screen that comes down from the ceiling via hand-clap command, I may finally be able to fulfill my dream of never leaving home again.

All praises of my new space aside, this week’s incarnation of the Top 5 brings a look back at our Fantastic Fest 2012 coverage, Looper interviews with writer/director Rian Johnson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt, The Avengers Blu-ray interviews with members of the pic’s visual effects team, The Perks of Being a Wallflower interviews with Emma Watson, writer/director Stephen Chbosky and more, and Hotel Transylvania interviews with Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez just to name a few. As you might expect, a brief recap and link to each is holding down the fort after the jump.

Now playing in limited release and expanding into more theaters tomorrow is Stephen Chbosky’s fantastic movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower (watch the trailer here).  Chbosky wrote the adaptation of his own novel and also directed the feature.  In the film, Logan Lerman plays an introverted high school freshman who finds acceptance in two senior students, played by Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.  The film also stars Mae Whitman, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Nina Dobrev, and Paul Rudd.  Over the past few years I’ve seen a number of coming of age movies.  Usually they play out the same way and touch on the same themes.  What makes Perks so special is that it tackles serious issues with honestly and believability.  In addition, all the actors are great and it’s Lerman’s best work to date.  I strongly recommend checking it out.

At the Toronto International Film Festival Perks premiered to glowing reviews.  Shortly before the premiere I spoke to Nina Dobrev.  We talked about her reaction to reading the script, how she got cast, her preparation process, how similar she is to her character, and what fans can look forward to in The Vampire Diaries season 4.  Hit the jump to watch.

If you enjoyed the first round of images from Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you’ll enjoy today’s post as we have fifteen more shots to share with you.  Chbosky wrote the adaptation of his own novel and also directed the feature, which is a coming-of-age story that touches on all the keystones of adolescence.  Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd, Dylan McDermott, Nina Dobrev and Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being a Wallflower opens September 21st.  Hit the jump to check out the new images.

The Vampire Diaries, the CW’s answer to HBO’s vampires and more show, begins its fourth season this October.  While nowhere near as graphic as True Blood, the show does feature plenty of fun for fans of the genre.   In three seasons so far, fans have witnessed some supernatural shenanigans, multiple make out sessions, and lots of brooding.  At this year’s Comic-Con, fans and press got a chance to ask the cast questions during a panel in Ballroom 20 and via one on one and roundtable interviews.

Collider got to speak one on one with cast members Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Michael Trevino, and Zach Roerig.  While all remained tight lipped about potential spoilers for the season, they did speak freely about where their characters were headed, what else they were working on, and what would happen if they met up with the cast of True Blood in an alley.  Check out all five video interviews after the jump.

The Vampire Diaries panel appeared at Comic-Con today to talk about the upcoming fourth season of the CW series.  Joining the stage were stars Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig and executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson. Cast members fielded questions from the moderator and their enthusiastic fan base.  The third season of The Vampire Diaries will also appear on DVD/Blu-ray on September 11th.  Hit the jump to check out my panel recap and click here for all of our ongoing Comic-Con coverage.

The first trailer from writer/director Steven Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower has gone online.  The film adaptation of Chbosky’s acclaimed novel by the same name features Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) as an introverted high school freshman who finds acceptance in two senior students, played by Emma Watson (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) and Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin). Also starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd and Mae Whitman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower opens September 14th.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

Check out the new release dates for the following films:

• The Tall Man, a horror/mystery/thriller starring Jessica Biel (The A-Team) and Jodelle Ferland (Silent Hill), will open August 31st, 2012.
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Emma Watson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)  and Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) opens September 14th, 2012.
• Pitch Perfect, with Anna Kendrick (Scott Pilgrim vs the World) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Kick-Ass), opens Octboer 5th, 2012.

Hit the jump for more on each film.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this evening.  First up, Cole Hauser (2 Fast 2 Furious) has been added to the fifth entry in the Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard.  Deadline reports that Hauser has landed the pivotal supporting role of Collins, a villain, in the John Moore-directed film. The pic finds Bruce Willis’ John McClane teaming up with his son (Jai Courtney) in Russia, as the two become, shall we say, not welcome in the country.  This will be the third time Hauser has starred opposite Willis, as the two previously worked together in Tears of the Sun and Hart’s War.  20th Century Fox CEO Tom Rothman recently gushed about the film during an interview with Steve and went a bit deeper into what we can expect plot-wise.

Hit the jump for casting news concerning the indie Cannabis Kid.

The CW Network has renewed station standout The Vampire Diaries, along with fan-favorites Supernatural and 90210; all three series will return for the 2012-2013 season.  The Vampire Diaries, starring Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, returns for its fourth season.  The long-running Supernatural, starring Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Jim Beaver will kick-off its eighth season, while Beverly Hills socialites Shenae Grimes, Tristan Wilds and AnnaLynne McCord return for the fifth season of 90210. Hit the jump to read the press release.

On the last episode of The CW drama series The Vampire Diaries, called “Dangerous Liaisons,” viewers learned that the mother of the Original vampires is not quite as loving of her children as she appears. With her nefarious plan set in motion, thanks in part to Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and the blood of the doppleganger, things are sure to get more intense, leading up to the Season 3 finale.

During a recent interview to hint at what’s to come, executive producer/writer Julie Plec talked about the Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) love triangle that Elena is stuck in, exploring Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) humanity, whether or not any of the Originals will survive what’s been set in motion, where the Klaus and Caroline (Candice Accola) relationship could be headed and where that leaves Tyler (Michael Trevino), the unique position that Matt (Zach Roerig) is in as one of the only humans left in Mystic Falls,  what’s in store for Bonnie (Kat Graham) and her mother, how Alaric’s (Matthew Davis) ring failing is going to be causing some problems, that Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) will return before the end of the season, and that viewers cannot be certain about the fate of anyone. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

A show like The Vampire Diaries is easily dismissed; there seems to be no reason at all to tune in unless you’re a fifteen-year-old girl who really loves Edward Cullen, or a cable-less vampire lover. The latter might even be a bit of a stretch. What you’d be missing while under that assumption, however, is one of the most consistently good shows on network TV. Though the premise might be a little hard to swallow at first – especially if you’re not the target demographic of anything else the CW puts out – the show is worth the effort. Hidden behind a trite storyline is solid writing, intriguing storytelling, and one of the most frivolously addictive shows on air right now. Hit the jump for our review of The Vampire Diaries season two Blu-ray.

In this week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries, entitled “The End of the Affair,” family ties will be revealed, relationships will be explained and familiar faces will return, and it’s only the third episode into Season 3. Collider was one of a handful of outlets invited over to The CW offices to view the episode and all of its edge-of-your-seat moments a day early, and see what hints we could get executive producer/writer Julie Plec to tease, in regard to the upcoming season.

While she didn’t give any specifics or major reveals, Julie Plec did talk about how this episode is just the beginning of what viewers will see of the Originals’ history and origin, what these revelations will do to the relationship between Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Elena (Nina Dobrev), that the chemistry between Elena and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) will be illuminated more as a result, what the true agenda of the ghosts visiting Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) is, when Bonnie (Katerina Graham) will return, how things will develop between Caroline (Candice Accola) and Tyler (Michael Trevino), and that viewers should always dread character deaths. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

Logan Lerman has been tweeting photos from the set of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Author Stephen Chbosky wrote the script and is directing the adaptation of his 1999 novel of the same name.  The coming-of-age story stars Lerman as “15-year-old Charlie (Lerman), an endearing and naive outsider, coping with first love (Emma Watson), the suicide of his best friend, and his own mental illness while struggling to find a group of people with whom he belongs.”  The film also stars Mae Whitman, Johnny Simmons, Ezra Miller, Nina Dobrev, and Dylan McDermott.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.

Actress Nina Dobrev, star of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, has landed a role in Stephen Chbosky’s adaptation of his novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The cast now includes Emma Watson, Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson series), and Mae Whitman (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World). Deadline reports that Dobrev will play Candace in the coming of age story “about 15-year-old Charlie (Lerman), an endearing and naive outsider, coping with first love (Watson), the suicide of his best friend, and his own mental illness while struggling to find a group of people with whom he belongs.” Summit Entertainment is distributing the film.

The report also mentions Paul Rudd as being a part of the cast, though doesn’t specify which role he will play. Whitman is poised to take on the role of Mary Elizabeth, a tattooed vegetarian who acts as the protagonist’s first girlfriend. Hit the jump for a synopsis of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.