Some (un)casting news today.  Check out the highlights below:

  • Chris Hemsworth (Thor) is reportedly out of American Assassin, the CBS Films' adaptation of the Vince Flynn novel.  A source cited scheduling conflicts.
  • Ty Burrell (Modern Family) will join Adventureland duo Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins as Hader's lover.
  • Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) is in consideration for Our Kind of Traitor, an adaptation of the John le Carre novel. Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and Jessica Chastain (Lawless) are also rumored.

Hit the jump for more on each project. 

First up in a bit of un-casting news, Deadline reports that Hemsworth will not be playing CIA agent-in-training Mitch Rapp in American Assassin.  Their source says that a deal never came together because of timing.  Directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor), the prequel story that shows the tragic road that led college scholar and athlete Mitch Rapp to join the CIA in order to hunt down terrorists.  Bruce Willis was previously in talks as Rapp's CIA mentor.  Hemsworth will next be seen in the Red Dawn remake, followed by reprisals in Thor 2 and The Avengers 2, as well as a lead stint in the Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation, Robopocalypse.

We recently reported on Wiig and Hader teaming up in The Skeleton Twins as Maggie and Milo, an estranged brother/sister pair who cheat death on the same day and then reunite to consider their lives thus far.  Variety further reported on Burrell's addition to the Craig Johnson indie comedy.  Part of Hader's character's journey includes a visit to his old flame, Rich (Burrell), a teacher who'd rather keep his past a secret.  New details reveal that Rich is Milo's former high school teacher and secret lover.  When the relationship got him fired, Rich hid his sexual orientation, got married and started work as a bookstore clerk.  The picture also co-stars Luke Wilson (Old School).  Burrell can be heard as the voice of Mr. Peabody in Mr. Peabody & Sherman, the DreamWorks animated feature opening November 1st, 2013.

Lastly, The Wrap reports that Mikkelsen is eyeing a role in Our Kind of Traitor, an adaptation of a recent le Carre novel to be directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) from a screenplay by Hossein Amini (Drive, Snow White and the Huntsman).  The story centers on a young English couple who become friends with a millionaire Russian businessman while on vacation.  However, the Russian is actually a money launderer seeking to defect to British intelligence  before his enemies can get to him; the couple is his only hope of salvation.  Recruited by the secret service, the couple becomes involved in a deadly chase, which takes them from the markets of Marrakesh to London, to the French Open Tennis Final in Paris and to a thrilling climax in the Swiss Alps.  Fiennes and Chastain were both rumored to be involved in the picture, but there are no confirmations as of yet.