The Gates actor Frank Grillo has been cast in Lay The Favorite for director Stephen Frears and Emmet/Furla Films and Random House Films. Story centers on the true story of Beth Raymer, a woman who fell into professional gambling in Las Vegas. Rebecca Hall plays Rayner, and the film also stars Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joshua Jackson.
Erstwhile Winklevoss, Arnie Hammer (The Social Network) has just signed onto 2:22, a psychological thriller from Lightstream Pictures and director Paul Currie. 2:22 centers on Dylan (Hammer) an air traffic controller who is given a jolt when he narrowly escapes being responsible for a mid air collision between two passenger planes. Caused by a mysterious blinding light that happened at 2:22, these strange occurrences continue and lead Dylan to meet Sarah, with whom he feels inexplicably linked. Together the two discover uncanny similarities with their current predicament and a double murder committed a generation ago. With a grim fate looming, Dylan must solve the mystery of 2:22 to preserve a love whose second chance has finally come. The film will be shooting in the fall in Sydney, Australia. Hammer will also be seen in the upcoming The Brothers Grimm: Snow White and is also in talks for the title role in The Lone Ranger opposite Johnny Depp. More on this from Renn here.
Cynthia Nixon will do a guest spot on Law & Order: Criminal Intent for an episode inspired by the troubles surrounding the Broadway production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Nixon’s role will be that of Amanda Reese (based on Julie Taymor), who is a high-maintenance director of a troubled production called Icarus. A sabotaged stunt causes Reese to lose control. Criminal Intent’s 10th season kicked off last night.
Dylan McDermott has joined Connie Britton in the pilot for FX’s drama, American Horror Story. The project is from Glee co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Details on the pilot are under wraps, but character descriptions have been released thus: Ben Harmon (McDermott), a handsome and masculine but sensitive therapist who loves his family but has hurt his wife, and Vivien Harmon (Britton), his gorgeous wife who is a force to be reckoned with. Lange plays their nosy neighbor, a role that has been beefed up after her casting. Murphy and Falchuk wrote the script and Falchuk will be directing.
Ed Asner has been cast as Ted Roth, the grandfather to Hank and Evan on Royal Pains. Henry Winkler was cast last season as their father. Royal Pains’ third season kicks off on June 29th.