Casting News -- May 1, 2009

Jim Carrey is rumored to be a "leading candidate" to star in The Beaver, a comedy that revolves around the relationship between a man and a beaver puppet he wears on his arm, which he talks to and treats as a companion. The script has been compared to Being John Malkovich and Lars and the Real Girl. Steve Carell was previously attached to star in the film, while Jay Roach was at one time considered to direct.

Julie White and Stark Sands have joined the cast of this summer's Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night, starring Anne Hathaway. Tony Award winner White will play Maria, while Tony nominee Sands stars as Sebastian. Also joining the cast are Herb Foster as Valentine, Kevin Kelly as Sea Captain, Baylen Thomas as Curio, and Jon Patrick Walker as Fabian. The star-studded cast already includes four time Tony Award-winning actress Audra McDonald as Olivia, three-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza as Orsino, and more. Twelfth Night runs June 10-July 12 at the outdoor Delacorte Theater in Central Park in NYC.

Lizzy Caplan, Crispin Glover, and Sebastian Stan have joined the cast of Hot Tub Time Machine, a time-travel comedy about a group of friends who go back to the ski lodge where they partied as teens and end up transported to 1987 through their hot tub. John Cusack, Rob Corrdry, and Craig Robinson star. Caplan will play April, Cusack's love interest and the only woman in the group; Glover plays Phil, a one-armed accident-prone bellhop at the lodge; and Stan will play Blaine, Corddry's ski-jock nemesis.

Sas Goldberg, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Cristin Milioti, Steven Rattazzi, and Jeanine Serralles have been cast in the NYC premiere of Stunning, David Adjmi's portrait of a diverse Brooklyn neighborhood. Charlayne Woodard stars. Stunning is scheduled to run June 1-July 27 at The Duke on 42nd St. as part of Lincoln Center Theater's LCT3, a new initiative devoted to emerging artists.

Connie Fisher will return to the role of Maria for a new U.K national tour of The Sound of Music. Fisher originated the role in the 2006 London Palladium revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein' musical, after winning a public vote on the BBC1 reality TV series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?. The tour begins July 26.

-- Daniel Lehman