Casting News -- June 26, 2009

Noah Wyle will star in an untitled alien-invasion pilot for TNT, set shortly after aliens have wiped out most of the human population. Wyle will play the leader of a ragtag group of soldiers and civilians who struggle against the occupying alien force. The show is executive produced by Steven Spielberg (who also produced ER), who was rumored to be pursuing Wyle for the role before this announcement made casting official.

Casting has been announced for the upcoming touring production of Dreamgirls. The cast includes Moya Angela as Effie White, American Idol finalist Syesha Mercado as Deena Jones, Adrienne Warren as Lorrell Robinson, and Margaret Hoffman as Michelle Morris, with Chaz Lamar Shepherd as Curtis Taylor Jr., Chester Gregory as James "Thunder" Early, Trevon Davis as C.C. White. and Milton Craig Nealy as Marty Madison. The production plays a limited run Nov. 7-Dec. 6 at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem before launching the national tour.

Topher Grace, Emma Roberts, and Hector Elizondo have joined the cast of Valentine's Day, an ensemble romantic comedy also starring Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Bradley Cooper, and Ashton Kutcher. Grace plays a mailroom worker who's dating Hathaway; Roberts (working for the first time on the same movie as her aunt Julia) plays a teen who wants to lose her virginity to her boyfriend; Elizondo plays MacLaine's husband.

Joanna Garcia has been cast in a recurring role on Gossip Girl. The former Privileged star will appear in a four-episode arc as Bree Buckley, an irreverent and slightly evil Miss America-type blonde from a conservative Southern family, who also serves as a love interest for rich kid Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford).

Janet Jackson will reprise her role in Tyler Perry's comedy sequel Why Did I Get Married Too. Jackson plays a successful author and psychologist who prefers to analyze other's relationship problems rather than deal with her own marriage. No other casting has been announced, but Tyler Perry will write, direct, and star in the sequel to Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married.

Tony Award winner Andrea Martin has joined the cast of the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of The Torchbearers. The cast also includes Marian Seldes and Katie Finneran, as well as Jessica Hecht, Edward Herrmann, Yusef Bulos, Phillip Goodwin, Lizbeth MacKay, John Doherty, and Becky Ann Baker. Also at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the cast of Caroline in Jersey includes Lea Thompson, Will Lebow, Matt McGrath, and Brenda Wehle.

Jeri Ryan has been cast in a recurring role on Leverage, the TNT drama series about a group of Robin Hood-esque vigilantes. Ryan will play Tara, a "smart-ass, street-wise con woman" who is called on for help and "gets sucked into the Leverage family."

Aaron Boudreaux, Sean Hardin, and Sydney Roberts will star in the all-teen cast of the Theatre Under the Stars production of the coming-of-age musical 13. Boudreaux stars as the uprooted Evan Goldman, with Sean Hardin as his friend Archie and Sydney Roberts as Patrice. The cast also includes Betty Marie Muessig as Lucy, Chris Canal as Brett, and Stephanie Styles as Kendra. The musical performs Sept. 10-12 at TUTS.

-- Daniel Lehman

Comments

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I like his movie. Librarian is my second best movie after Indiana Jones.