We've got a few casting stories for you this afternoon. Briefly:
- Sam Elliott has joined Ivan Reitman's dramedy Draft Day starring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, Ellen Burstyn, and Terry Crews.
- Michael Pena will co-star in David Ayer's WWII thriller Fury starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, and Logan Lerman.
- Speaking of LaBeouf, he's set to lead Villain, a psychological thriller from director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later).
Hit the jump for more on all these films.
Draft Day takes place within the span of one day, the day of the NFL Draft, with Kevin Costner playing the general manger who has the opportunity to save football in Cleveland when he trades for the number one pick. As the day’s events unfold, "he must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with dreams of playing in the NFL." According to Deadline, Elliott "will play a college coach whose quarterback is a top NFL draft pick." The movie also stars Sean Combs, Josh Pence (The Social Network) Chadwick Boseman (42), and Timothy Simons (Veep). The movie recently did some filming at the actual 2013 NFL Draft, so I wonder if the flick will contain lots of footage of sad Geno Smith.
Moving on to Fury, the story takes place in 1945 as the Nazi regime collapses and the five-man crew of an American tank called Fury battles a desperate German army. Pitt plays the sergeant "Wardaddy" with LaBeouf, Lerman, and now Pena playing members of the crew. According to THR, "Pena will play the tank’s driver, a butcher who is always drunk -- having vowed never to go into combat sober." This is Pena's second film with Ayer. The two previously teamed up for End of Watch where Pena gave a terrific performance.
Finally, Villain "follows two brothers who mysteriously re-connect in an unforgiving wilderness." Deadline reports LaBeouf will play one of the brothers, with the role of the other brother to be cast shortly. Josh Zetumer, who wrote the script for the remake of RoboCop, penned the script.
