J. Edgar lost a girl … but gained a castmember from Gossip Girl. Win win.

According to Vulture, Charlize Theron is ducking out of Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar. She’s been attached to play Hoover’s longtime secretary, Helen Gandy, but has declined the role. (Vulture claims she now has to “apologize” to Eastwood for dangling him along, and that things are now “smoothed over.”  Yes, I’m sure the 80 year old actor-director-producer has never, ever had an actor decide not to sign onto a film before.  Ever! He must have been so furious.)

Eastwood is supposedly considering Naomi Watts or Amy Ryan for the role. Given his propensity for repeating castmembers, my money is on Ryan, who is certainly no slouch.  She may even be better suited for the role.

Theron is reportedly vying for the lead in Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel. Scott wants Michelle Yeoh or Noomi Rapace in order to make it more multicultural (you know, to better reflect the world in the present and future) but Fox wants Theron, especially if Scott successfully wins Michael Fassbender.  They want a big name as the “tough but sexy” captain, Elizabeth Shaw, and Theron is big enough and sexy enough to lure in crowds.  That Alien moniker just isn’t enough ….

That probably should have been its own story. Ah well.  Rumors are rumors.

But while Fox grapples as to who to populate Shaw’s ship with, J. Edgar is quietly adding to its roster.    Deadline Hollywood Daily reports that Ed Westwick has signed on to play Hoover’s biographer. A clean-cut agent and wordsmith, this lucky little agent is handpicked by Hoover to write his official biography … until he gets too close to some of Hoover’s secrets.  I imagine it might be one big secret named Clyde Tolson, who is being played by the fancast Superman, Armie Hammer.

But I think everyone’s missed a key part of the Westwick casting story, and that’s its revelation that Clint Eastwood watches Gossip Girl. (Well, he does have teenage daughters.  He probably does that thing where he pretends like he hates it, and asks them to change the channel, but then says “Eh, leave it.”)

Incidentally, DHD says Theron is choosing Snow White and the Huntsman over J. Edgar (which was always the debate for her, if I remember my rumors correctly) and has nary a word about the Alien prequel.  So maybe I didn’t need to give its own story after all.