Call Answered: Demi Moore has joined the cast of Margin Call, an indie drama that takes place during the early stages of the Wall Street financial crisis. She’ll play the chief risk management officer at a firm in the film, which also stars Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Simon Baker, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, and Stanley Tucci. Weird, this sounds just like Moore’s other upcoming project: the Miley Cyrus vehicle LOL. [Deadline]
Poots’ Big Break: Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) has nabbed the female lead in Fright Night, the DreamWorks remake of the 1985 film. The British actress joins a cast that includes Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Poots will play Yelchin’s girlfriend, who is part of the popular crowd and doesn’t realize her boyfriend used to be a nerd. With a name like “Imogen Poots,†her parents were practically dictating that she become famous, huh? [Heat Vision/HR]
Rush Hour: Michael Shannon has signed on to play the villain in Premium Rush, a thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt about a New York bike messenger (Gordon-Levitt) who picks up an envelope at Columbia University and is subsequently chased through the city by a “dirty cop†(Shannon) who desperately wants it. Jamie Chung (Dragonball: Evolution) is in negotiations to play the female lead, Gordon-Levitt’s ex, a “fellow daredevil bike messenger†who helps him outwit the cop. Bikers and cops do have a history of conflict in this town. [HR]
Game Play: Warner Bros. has picked up the feature rights for Ready Player One, the young adult sci-fi novel by Fanboys author Ernie Cline, who will get to take the first stab at the screenplay. The story is about an outcast teenager who “escapes from his bleak surroundings†by logging onto the Oasis, “a globally virtual utopia where users can lead idyllic alternate lives,†ultimately leading to the teen competing in a “elaborate treasure hunt†with gamers from across the world. Angsty teens listening to Oasis when they felt like sulking is so 20th century. [Heat Vision/HR]
Supernova: Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars) has won the leading role in Fox’s Terra Nova. O’Mara will play Jim Shannon, a man who guides his family back in time to a colony built in prehistoric earth. “I’ve always thought that guy was a star,†executive producer David Fury said, “He just hasn’t found the right property yet.†So if this doesn’t make you a star, O’Mara, it’s really just your fault. [Variety]