“Sole Sistersâ€: Halle Berry will lead an ensemble cast in Shoe Addicts Anonymous, an adaptation of the bestseller by Beth Harbison. The comedy, directed by Paul Weiland (Made of Honor), follows the lives of four Chicago women from different ethnic backgrounds who are “shoe addicts who wear the same size.†They form a support group and become… wait for it… “sole sisters.†Berry plays an agoraphobe who is forced to make all of her footwear purchases online. Before you start groaning at the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-ness of it all, note that the script is from the duo behind one of the true classics of the rom com genre: How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. [Deadline]
Another Feet-Related Project!: Dustin Lance Black (Milk) is set to write the screenplay for 20th Century Fox’s movie version of the story of the Barefoot Bandit, otherwise known as 18-year-old outlaw Colton Harris-Moore. David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) is in final negotiations to direct. The film is based on a book proposal by Bob Friel, who profiled Harris-Moore recently in the magazine Outside. Harris-Moore - who has a “massive Facebook following†- was transported to Washington state Wednesday after he was arrested in the Bahamas on July 11. So if you’re actor who can pass for 19 and you’re 6’5â€, this is your lucky day! [Variety]
Mary Mary: Sharon Stone has signed on to play the mother of Mary (Pixie Lott) in the Nativity comedy Sweet Baby Jesus. Adrien Brody is in final negotiations to play Joseph, Stone’s husband, and Bette Midler will play an innkeeper in Bethlehem, Maryland, where the film is set. And yes, this is actually a movie that’s happening and not an account of that fever dream you had a few years ago. [Deadline]
Lonely Travelers: Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien) is starring with Hani Furstenberg in The Loneliest Planet, an indie thriller directed by Julia Loktev. They’ll play a young couple hiking through Georgia (the country in Europe) where their “relationship is tested in ways they never anticipated.†Sufficiently vague and spooky! [Deadline]
Brotherly Love: Hugh Dancy, Kathryn Hahn (Revolutionary Road), Shirley Knight and Janet Montgomery (Black Swan) have signed on to join the cast of the indie comedy My Idiot Brother. The film, currently shooting in New York, stars Paul Rudd as a “man who upends the lives of his three ambitious sisters,†played by Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer. Knight will play Rudd’s mother and Hahn his ex-girlfriend. Dancy will play a friend of one of Rudd’s sisters, and Montgomery an “aristocratic Brit.†Who knows what Montgomery’s character has to do with the plot, but sounds like a fun part! [Variety]
Beatty’s Break: Twelve-year-old Australian actress Jordana Beatty has scored the lead role in the family film Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer. John Schultz (Aliens in the Attic) is directing the film, based on the children’s book series. Beatty appeared in Superman Returns, but this is her first major film role. “Jordana is a talented young actress whose natural enthusiasm, humor and charistmatic charm make her the perfect Judy Moody,†co-producer Sarah Siegel-Magness said. Good luck, Jordana; and let’s cross our fingers you steer clear of the Lohan Trajectory as you progress in Hollywood. [Variety]