Here's today's latest casting news:

  • Reg E. Cathey has joined Josh Trank's The Fantastic Four reboot in a rather interesting role.  The Fox film stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell as the title heroes.
  • Liam Neeson joins J. A. Bayona's A Monster Calls, starring Felicity Jones and scripted by Patrick Ness.
  • Dan Stevens will star alongside John Travolta and Michael Pitt in Jackie Earle Haley's Criminal Activities.
  • Ray Winstone's role in Point Break has been revealed, and no, he's not replacing Gerard Butler.

Hit the jump for more on each story.

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First up from Heat Vision is news that Cathey will be joining The Fantastic Four in the role of Dr. Storm.  Now, for the uninitiated, that's not a villain partnering up with Doctor Doom (Toby Kebbell).  He's actually the father of Johnny and Sue Storm, played by Jordan and Mara respectively.  The sharp-eyed among you might have noticed that Cathey is black, just as many fans of the franchise noticed that Jordan was black back when he was cast as Johnny/The Human Torch.  However Fox and Trank decide to explain the family dynamics (or if they decide it's not worth an explanation at all), I'm happy to see a little more diversity creeping into the superhero landscape.   The movie will also serve to reunite The Wire alumni, Cathey and Jordan.

Screen Daily reports that Neeson is the latest addition to A Monster Calls, a fantasy drama about the unexpected bond between a young boy and a beast born of his nightmares.  "Thirteen-year-old Conor O’Malley is troubled by his mother’s declining health, school bullies and the yew tree in his backyard that transforms at night into a monster that narrates strange stories.  Over time what the terrifying visitor tells the boy enables him to come to terms with life’s truths." In a fun surprise, Neeson will play the monster.

Variety brings word of Stevens' addition to Criminal Activities, a picture that follows four friends and their risky investment that lands them in the crosshairs of the mob.  The film is slated to begin production next month.

As Deadline reports, Winstone, who was previously attached to Ericson Core's Point Break remake, will be stepping into the role of Pappas.  The veteran officer, played by Gary Busey in the original film, was partnered with Keanu Reeves' FBI agent, Johnny Utah.  Winstone will partner up with Luke Bracey who is taking over the Utah role.