Posted in: Movies, Recent Updates | Tagged: angelina jolie, billie joe armstrong, garrett hedlund, hunger games, leighton meester, unbroken, Vikings

Casting Roundup: Hunger Games, Heavy Metal Vikings And Garrett Hedlund

Some singers try to become actors, The Hunger Games keeps casting away and Garrett Hedlund gets a movie he really, really wants in today's roundup.

• Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is giving acting a go. He's landed his first movie role, playing Leighton Meester's boyfriend in currently-filming indie drama Like Sunday, Like Rain. Debra Messing and newcomer Julian Shatkin also star in the tale of a struggling musician who suddenly becomes the guardian of a little boy. [Deadline]

• Joseph Cross and Adelaide Clemons are set to enter into a taboo romance in Justin Lerner's newest drama, The Automatic Hate. True Blood's Deborah Ann Woll is on board to play Cross's character's girlfriend, so Clemons must be… well, the two could conceivably pass for siblings, though there are certainly other types of taboo relationships. [Deadline]

• Vince Vaughn will be joined on his sure to be hijinks filled Business Trip by Tom Wilkinson. Other traveling companions include James Marsden, Nick Frost and Dave Franco. Wilkinson will play Vaughn's business associate who travels with him to Europe where things will go wrong to the predicteddelight of the audience. [Deadline]

• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay has added another Broadway vet after snagging Lily Rabe the other day. This time it's recent Tony winner and Pippin star Patina Miller. She plays someone named Commander Paylor, who is another no-name character I barely remember from the book, but Miller is another fantastic actress so this franchise is really racking up some great talent. With Jennifer Lawrence as its star and Julianne Moore as the new baddie, it's not surprising everyone's interested. [Lionsgate]

• Vikings are pretty heavy metal, right? Filmmakers behind the currently filming Northmen – A Viking Saga are hoping there's an overlap between fans of rock music and historical epics because Johan Hegg, front man of Sweden's heavy metal titans Amon Amarth, will join the production in South Africa this month to play the role of Viking warrior Valli. Tom Hopper, Ryan Kwanten, Ken Duken, Charlie Murphy, Ed Skrein, Anatole Taubman and James Norton are all on board to play various bearded Nordic warriors of legend.

• Garrett Hedlund really, really, really wanted to be in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken, because even though he fought hard for the lead role that ultimately went to Jack O'Connell, Hedlund has said yes to taking a presumably much smaller supporting role in the true life WWII survival tale. Good for him! [Variety]

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