I was thrilled with J.J. Abrams' casting of the superlative Kyle Chandler (alongside Elle Fanning) in the Steven Spielberg-produced Super 8. Neither Chandler nor Fanning is what you might call a household name, but it turns out they'll be the most recognizable members of the cast.
According to Risky Business, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Gabriel Basso, Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, and Zach Mills round out the main cast of the enigmatic thriller, which is said to revolve around “three siblings who discover footage of an alien in some Super 8 footage they shot.” The relatively unknown nature of the cast makes for a fun journey on IMDB, which I try to recreate after the jump.
Eldard has certainly been in things (Blackhawk Down, Freedomland), but I can't say that have any recollection of his work.
Emmerich is likewise a veteran in the industry, but will always hold a place in my heart as Marlon in The Truman Show.
After this summer, I think it's safe to say that Basso is now best known as "the obnoxious kid in The Big C." Given that all the characters in the pilot of that show (couldn't make it beyond that) are obnoxious, I'll happily blame the writers.
You of course know Courtney as "Randy the Karaoke Singer" in 29 Reasons to Run... unless that's a different Joel Courtney (very possible).
Mills has a pretty stellar resume for a 14-year-old, with some fantastic character names. My favorites:
- "Eric Applebaum, the Hat Collector" in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
- "Shanty Town Child" in Insult to Injury
- "Stirling Howard IV' in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
"Ryan Lee" is too commonplace a name to be certain, though I'll guess it's this one, who had a small role in Robert Rodriguez's Shorts. Perhaps you'd prefer this one. (Will Smith does.)
There appears to be no entry for a Riley Griffths. Interesting.
Production has started on the film, as evidence by these photos from the set. Paramount is targeting a summer 2011 release.