Here are some casting stories for you this morning:

  • Debra Winger, Josh Lucas, Eddie Izzard, and Kevin McHale (Glee) are joining Dustin Hoffman in Boychoir.
  • Brittany Snow and William H. Macy are in talks to lead the indie drama Dial-a-Prayer.
  • Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) will play a criminal Santa in Alexandre Coffre's Le Père Noël.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

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According to Deadline, Winger, Lucas, Izzard, and McHale will star alongside Hoffman in the indie drama Boychoir, the new film from The Red Violin director Francois Girard.  As we previously reported, the script from Ben Ripley (Source Code) has Hoffman playing "Choir Master Carvelle, who runs a boys choir school on the East Coast", and the story "follows a troubled and angry 12-year-old named Stet (Garrett Wareing) who is sent off to the school".  Alfred Molina was originally set to play Drake, one of the school's teachers and Carvell's right-hand man, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, and now Izzard will play the role.  Deadline reports that Lucas will play Stet's estranged father, McHale will co-star as "a young teacher who champions the kid", and Winger is set as the principal at the boy's Texas school.  Kathy Bates is still signed on to play the school's headmistress.  Production on the feature began today.

Moving on to Dial-a-Prayer, THR says "The film follows a young woman named Cora (Snow) who is sentenced to community service working in a prayer request call center. She discovers a sense of accomplishment from the work until she finds out a boy she thinks she helped save is hiding a secret from her."  That sounds kind of weird/interesting if for no other reason than I don't understand the purpose of a prayer request call center.  Why would someone need to request a prayer?  Don't you just pray and that's the end of it?  Seems like an unnecessary middle-man, and I'm surprised that the service is popular that it can afford to staff a call center.

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THR, doesn't say what role Macy will play.  His directorial debut, Rudderless, played at Sundance, and he's also attached to the indies Walter and Stealing Cars.  He continues to star on the Showtime series Shameless.  As for Snow, she's on board to return for Pitch Perfect 2.

Finally, Rahim will lead Alexandre Coffre's Le Père Noël.  The film has an amusing premise.  Per Cineuropa:

"The plot begins one evening on 24 December. More than anything else in the world, six-year-old Antoine wants to have a sleigh ride through the sky with Father Christmas… So when, as if by magic, Father Christmas lands on his balcony, the child is too amazed to see through Santa’s disguise and realise that he is actually a burglar who will not let anyone get in the way of his night’s work. Each in search of his own dream, “Father Christmas” and his apprentice team up for one night only to scale the Parisian rooftops and steal the riches contained within the handsome, deserted apartments."

It sounds like a lot of fun, and I'll be curious to see how it pans out.  The picture also stars Victor Cabal, Philippe Rebbot, Anne-Lise Hesme, Amélie Glenn, and Jean-François Cayrey.  Rahim recently starred in the drama The Past opposite Bérénice Bejo (The Artist).

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