Casting Call: Where you can spot your favourite star next

January 23, 2019

<a href="/tags/0/emma-stone/">Emma Stone</a> will be slipping into Cruella De Vill's two-toned mullet for an origin story called <em>Cruella</em>, according to the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/disneys-cruella-de-vil-movie-gets-director-1166394" target="_blank">Hollywood Reporter</a>. <em>I, Tonya</em> director Craig Gillespie is in early talks to helm the live-action take on the iconic <em>101 Dalmations</em> villain, notorious for her love of puppy fur. Emma is reported to be playing the character in the context of the '80s and with a decidedly punk vibe.
<p>Photos: © Getty Images/Disney

Ava DuVernay is celebrating Prince! The award-winning director of <em>A Wrinkle in Time</em> and filmmaker behind the documentary <em>13th</em> will tackle the beloved singer's life and death in a new documentary for Netflix. With the family's cooperation and access to Prince Rogers Nelson's archives, it's sure to be a splendid tribute.
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<a href="/tags/0/michelle-williams">Michelle Williams</a> is slipping into Christa McAuliffe's space suit to tell the tragic tale of the Challenger Space Shuttle, which exploded just over a minute after launching at Cape Canaveral more than 30 years ago. Christa was an astronaut teacher who had intended on teaching science lessons in space, but she and her six fellow crew members never made it. “Christa McAuliffe’s legacy deserves the strength, courage, experience and humanity that Michelle Williams brings to the role," co-producer Ben Renzo told <a href="https://deadline.com/2018/10/michelle-williams-christa-mcauliffe-the-challenger-movie-cast-1202474790/" target="_blank">Deadline</a>. Production on <em>The Challenger</em>, directed by Martin Zandvliet, will start in 2019.
<p>Photos: © Getty Images

Ansel Elgort has some tough-guy shoes to fill as he joins Steven Spielberg's remake of <em>West Side Story</em> as lead heartthrob Tony, according to the Hollywood Reporter. And he's already proven his singing chops ahead of the musical in many Stagedoor Manor productions in his younger days and showed his rhythm as he danced his way through <em>Baby Driver</em>. Now all we need is to know who's playing the former gang member's forbidden love, Maria!
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

<a href="/tags/0/kelly-clarkson/">Kelly Clarkson</a> let her latest venture slip on <em>The Tonight Show</em> on Sept. 18, much to Jimmy Fallon's surprise! “I’m doing this thing to kind of prep for my talk show that’s gonna be next year,” she said before realizing she'd spilled the beans. “I didn’t think I’d ever do it. I love talking; it’s like my favourite pastime,” Kelly explained of the project, which has already shot a pilot and will air in 2019 before <em>The Ellen DeGeneres Show</em>. “It’s hard for me to shut up, though.”
<p>Photo: © Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for NBC

Tatiana Maslany is headed to the stage! The Canadian star will make her Broadway debut alongside Bryan Cranston in an adaptation of the award-winning film <em>Network</em>. The Emmy winner plays a network head in the story about a news anchor at the end of his run who breaks down live on television only to become the most popular man on the small screen. Opening night is Dec. 6 at the Belasco Theatre in New York for an 18-week run.
<p>Photo: © Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

The other Margaret! Gillian Anderson is reportedly the next star to step into the shoes of a real-life character on Netflix's <em>The Crown</em> - but the <em>X-Files</em> alum isn't playing royalty. According to the <em>Daily Mail</em>, the 50-year-old will tackle the role of first female prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Gillian has been dating series creator Peter Morgan for two years, but regardless of her connection to the show a source says they know how lucky they'd be to have her. "Gillian is an excellent actress, so it would be a real coup to get her." The addition would likely be for season four, when Margaret was leader of the Conservative Party.
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

Not only will Natalie Portman be stepping into famed Dear Abby advice columnist Ann Lander's shoes - and those of her identical twin Abigail Van Buren - but she'll also go behind the camera to direct an upcoming biopic. After both securing columns in the mid-1950s, the sisters spent the rest of their lives in a bitter professional rivalry.
<p>Photos: © Bettmann/Contributor and Cindy Ord/Sirius XM

Hulu is reportedly reviving the beloved Kristen Bell series <em>Veronica Mars</em>, according to <a href="https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/veronica-mars-revival-hulu-1202912604/" target="_blank">Variety</a>! The actress is believed to be dusting off her detective hat to return to her breakout role from the mid-aughts, playing the daughter of a private eye in Neptune, California who helps out her dad while trying to solve larger mysteries on her own. In 2014, a <em>Veronica Mars</em> film was released after Kristen and creator Rob Thomas raised $6 million on Kickstarter.

<em>Dora the Explorer</em> is getting the live-action treatment, and the little girl to be played by Isabela Moner has finally found her mom: Eva Longoria! The new mom is giving son Santiago something to look forward to as she steps into the role of Elena. The film is currently shooting in Australia and is set for a summer 2019 release.
<p>Photo: © Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Renée Zellweger is stepping into an exciting new TV role! The 49-year-old actress is set to star in the new Netflix original series <em>What/If</em>. The 10-part series will explore what happens when "acceptable people start doing unacceptable things," according to <a href="http://www.justjared.com/2018/08/17/renee-zellweger-to-star-in-new-netflix-series-whatif/"><strong><em>JustJared</em></strong></a>. Renée will play Anne, one half of a newly wedded couple who try to balance ethics when they get a dicey offer from a powerful woman.
<p>Photo: © JB Lacroix/ Getty Images

<p>Talk about a power team! Reese Witherspoon, 41, and Zendaya, 21, have officially announced that they'll be partnering up for a new movie. The film is called <i>White Lie</i> and will be produced by both of them through Reese's production company Hello Sunshine. Based on Karin Tanabe's book "The Gilded Years," the film will follow the true story of Anita Hemmings, who passed as white in order to attend college in the 1890s. She later became the first African-American woman to graduate from Vassar College.
<p>Photo: Getty Images

Earlier this month, <em>The Crown</em> star Claire Foy let it slip that she knew who producers selected to take over the role of Queen Elizabeth II in the third and fourth seasons of the hit Netflix drama. Now, it looks like the mystery has been solved, with multiple sources confirming that British actress Olivia Colman is next in line for the throne.
<p>Olivia, 43, is best known for her leading role in <em>Broadchurch</em> and <em>The Night Manager</em> opposite Tom Hiddleston. The latter performance earned her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or TV movie in 2017. She will soon star in Kenneth Branagh's hotly anticipated <em>Murder on the Orient Express</em>.
<p>Before The Crown debuted in 2016, its creator Peter Morgan divulged his plans to recast the Queen as the show journeyed through all six decades (and counting) of her reign. Series three and four are expected to follow the monarch through the 1960s and 70s.
<p>Photo: Getty Images

Earlier this month, The Crown star Claire Foy let it slip that she knew who producers selected to take over the role of Queen Elizabeth II in the third and fourth seasons of the hit Netflix drama. Now, it looks like the mystery has been solved, with multiple sources confirming that British actress Olivia Colman is next in line for the throne.

Olivia, 43, is best known for her leading role in Broadchurch and The Night Manager opposite Tom Hiddleston. The latter performance earned her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or TV movie in 2017. She will soon star in Kenneth Branagh's hotly anticipated Murder on the Orient Express.

Before The Crown debuted in 2016, its creator Peter Morgan divulged his plans to recast the Queen as the show journeyed through all six decades (and counting) of her reign. Series three and four are expected to follow the monarch through the 1960s and 70s.

Photo: Getty Images

<p>Renee Zellweger has lined up her next role! The <i>Bridget Jones's Diary</i> star will be playing iconic musician and actress Judy Garland in the upcoming biopic <i>Judy</i>. The flick will follow the legend during her 1968 London concerts, a particularly tumultuous time for the late star while she publicly fought with her management team and wooed her fifth husband Mickey Dean.
<p>The production will begin filming in February 2018, but no release date or further information on casting has been released.
<p>Photo: Getty / Silver Screen Collection

The Summer of Shania continues! Variety has revealed that the singer will make her big screen debut in John Travolta's new racing film <em>Trading Paint</em>. While production on the movie is underway in Alabama, fans will have to wait a little longer to find out more about Shania's role as no information has been released.
<p>Photo: Getty Images

Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, and Candice Bergen are attached to star in the upcoming indie comedy <em>Book Club</em>. According to Deadline, the film follows "four lifelong friends in their 60s who read ever so popular romance novel <em>50 Shades of Grey</em> in their monthly book club and have their lives changed forever — even though this is not the type of book they typically read."

Photo: Getty Images

Christina Aguilera is coming back to the big screen! The 36-year-old singer will star alongside Ewan McGregor, Theo James, Rashida Jone, and Léa Seydoux in Scott Free’s sci-fi romance <em>Zoe</em>.

The film follows "two colleagues at a revolutionary research lab design technology to improve and perfect romantic relationships. As their work progresses, their discoveries become more profound.

The futuristic love story will begin shooting in Montreal, in May and is set for a late 2017 release.

Photo: Getty Images

Disney has announced that Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen will voice fan favourite pair Timon and Pumbaa, respectively, for the live-action adaptation of <em>The Lion King</em>. The casting decision has been met with widespread praise, with one fan tweeting: "Gotta say, Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner as Timon and Pumba fits surprisingly well. #LionKing," while another added: "In a near-perfect casting move, Seth Rogen is Pumba in the upcoming Lion King movie. So excited."
<p>Photo: Getty Images

Just call her Queen Margot Robbie! The Australian actress is tapped to step into the shoes of Elizabeth I in an upcoming biopic on the life of Mary Queen of Scots. <em>Brooklyn</em> star Saoirse Ronan will wear the crown of Mary.
<p>The film, which is yet to been greenlit, is based on the book <em>The True Life of Mary Stuart</em> by John Guy. </p>
Photo: Getty Images

Shawn Mendes is set to make his big screen debut! The Canadian singer will put on his acting shoes for Ivan Reitman's first-ever musical <em>Summer of Love</em>.
According to <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>, the film could be inspired by the "summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people, mostly young hippies, converged in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood in opposition to the Vietnam War."
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

Susan Sarandon has lined up her next television gig! The star of <em>Feud</em> will join season five of Showtime's <em>Ray Donovan</em>. According to <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>, Susan will play a "strong, focused head of a motion picture studio."
<p>Photo: © Getty Images

Demi Moore is joining the cast of <em>Empire</em>! The 54-year-old will join Taraji P. Henson and co. on the hit musical drama. The <em>Hollywood Reporter</em> states that the actress has landed a major arc on the series and will make her first appearance in the season three finale.
<p>Photo: © Getty Images