Check out the latest casting news below:

• John Cusack (High Fidelity) is reportedly in talks to play The Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson in the indie Love & Mercy.
• Clifton Collins Jr. (Sunshine Cleaning) is the latest addition to Wally Pfister’s directorial debut Transcendence, starring Johnny Depp.
• Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi) will star in Disney’s true-life sports drama Million Dollar Arm, starring Jon Hamm.

Hit the jump for more on each casting announcement.

Director Ang Lee’s Life of Pi presents a tough sell for mainstream audiences: the main character is oddly named, the cast is not comprised of instantly-recognizable faces and the bulk of the story strands the viewers in a small boat with a boy and a tiger in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. But if people take a chance and put their faith in the Oscar-winning director, they’ll experience a beautifully told story about survival, self-discovery, the triumph of the human spirit and the quest for meaning in life, all wrapped up in a well-paced film in which the gorgeous special effects and responsible use of 3D are actually quite complementary.

Based on the novel by Yann Martel, Life of Pi stars Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu, Rafe Spall and Gerard Depardieu and is in theaters now. Hit the jump for my review.

A new clip from Ang Lee‘s Life of Pi has gone online.  The story centers on Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), a zookeeper’s son who survives a shipwreck only to find himself stuck on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger.  In this clip, Pi desperately uses the old “Message in a Bottle” play, although he’s perhaps a bit too honest in conveying his predicament.  If you got a message in a bottle saying a guy was stuck in a lifeboat, your first question would be “Where?”  If the message continued that there was also a tiger in the boat, your following question would be, “Did I just discover the world’s most bizarre prank?”

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  The film also stars Rafe Spall, Gerard Depardieu, Irrfan Khan, and Adil Hussain.  Life of Pi opens in 3D on November 21st.

Check out the offerings from our latest poster round-up:

• The U.K. poster for Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, starring Suraj Sharma, Rafe Spall, Gerard Depardieu, Irrfan Khan and Adil Hussain. Life of Pi opens in 3D November 21st.
• A huge banner poster for Cloud Atlas, from directors Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tyker.  Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent and more, Cloud Atlas opens October 26th.
• A teaser posters for Warm Bodies, a zombie romance (zomance? zom-rom?) starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer, which opens February 1st, 2013.

Hit the jump for the posters and synopses. 

The first clip from visionary director Ang Lee’s Life of Pi is now available.  The scene in question is an extension of the stunning trailer for the film, which was adapted from Yann Martel’s novel by David Magee. Life of Pi follows an Indian boy named Pi (Suraj Sharma), a zookeeper’s son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.  Viewed in 2D, the clip can be a bit distracting as there are obvious places where the 3D will be played up; it entertains just the same.

Also starring Rafe Spall, Gerard Depardieu, Irrfan Khan and Adil Hussain, Life of Pi opens in 3D November 21st.  Hit the jump to see the clip.

Director Ang Lee’s adaptation of the Yann Martel novel Life of Pi was flying pretty much under the radar until footage was unveiled earlier this year at CinemaCon.  Those in attendance were wowed by the visuals of Lee’s 3D pic, and the general public got their first peek at the film shortly thereafter by way of a stunning trailer.  For those unfamiliar with the source material, the story centers on a young man (Suraj Sharma) who is stranded at sea with a Bengal tiger following a shipwreck.

The film is having its world premiere today at the New York Film Festival, and the first reactions from those in attendance have landed online.  They’re largely positive, with everyone buzzing about some truly wonderful visuals from Lee and a masterful use of the 3D.  And yes, Oscar talk looks to have already begun.  Hit the jump to check out some of the first reactions.

A new international trailer for director Ang Lee’s ambitious adaptation of Life of Pi has landed online.  The story centers on a young man (Suraj Sharma) who is stranded at sea with a Bengal tiger following a shipwreck.  The clip gets things started right with the lovely stylings of Sigur Ros, and we get to see quite a bit of new footage on land.  The trailer opens as a frame story as we see the journalist character that was previously played by Tobey Maguire.  Lee decided to recast the role after he saw that Maguire’s starpower made the scene feel off, so now we see Rafe Spall in the part.  Every piece of footage we’ve seen thus far has been gorgeous, and I can’t wait to see Lee’s Life of Pi on a giant screen when it hits theaters.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, and Gerard Depardieu.  Life of Pi opens in 3D on November 21st.

The first trailer for Ang Lee‘s adaptation of Life of Pi has gone online.  The film looks, in a word, vibrant.  The few still images we’ve seen looked pretty, but this will definitely be a visually amazing feature when it opens this November.  As for the story, the trailer doesn’t lay out the plot and instead sells the message of hope, discovery, and courage.  There’s not a single line of dialogue in the trailer, and it’s a smart decision letting the visuals and tone do the talking.  I’m still not entirely sure what to expect from Life of Pi, but I like what I’m seeing from this trailer.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Life of Pi opens in 3D on November 21st.

The official site for Life of Pi is newly flush with some cool content.  As you enter the site, you are greeted with a brief clip of what looks like the beginning of a tiger mauling.  Of course, in the book by Yann Martel, the Bengal tiger named Richard Parker kills a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra—everyone but our protagonist Pi (played by Suraj Sharma) as he and Richard Parker are stranded out at sea for 227 days.  After the clip, you can click around to find four watercolor-like images from the movie accompanied a snippet from the soaring score.  It’s a very impressionist glimpse into the film, but with a captivating premise in the very capable hands of director Ang Lee, I really like what I see.  I am now disappointed that I opted for the 2D screening of Prometheus, since a scene from Life of Pi played in front of the 3D showings.

Tobey Maguire, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, and Gerard Depardieu co-star in the adaptation.  Life of Pi opens on November 21.  Hit the jump for the images and the clip.

The first image from Ang Lee‘s 3D adaptation of the novel Life of Pi has gone online.  Yann Martel‘s highly acclaimed book tells the story of a boy named Pi (played by newcomer Suraj Sharma), who gets stranded at sea for 227 days with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, a hyena, a zebra, and an orangutan.  As always, December is going to be crowded with awards fare, but 2012 has some seriously fierce competition: Les Miserables, The Hobbit, Kathryn Bigelow‘s Zero Dark Thirty, The Great Gatsby, and Django Unchained.  Life of Pi is going to be tough sell, but it’s also probably going to be unlike anything we’ve seen in some time.

Hit the jump to check out the image.  The film also stars Tobey Maguire, Irrfan Khan (In Treatment), Adil Hussain (Calendar Girls), and Gerard Depardieu.  Life of Pi opens December 14th.

It looks like the film adaptation of Yann Martel’s acclaimed novel Life of Pi is finally going into production.  Director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) joined the continually troubled project early last year, and after an exhausting worldwide casting search he’s found his star.  Seventeen-year-old newcomer Suraj Sharma beat out three thousand other young men who auditioned for the titular role of a boy stranded at sea for 227 days with a tiger.

Last we heard, Lee was at odds over the budget of the 3D film with Fox 2000.  One would assume that those details have been hammered out, as Variety reports that principal photography is set to begin in January in Taiwan and India in order to have the film ready for a Dec. 14, 2012 release date.  This will be Lee’s first time using 3D, from a script by David Magee (Finding Neverland).  For a description of the story, and a bit more on the flick, hit the jump.