Mass of casting: Eckhart, Sean Bean, Jean Reno, Tom Jane, Kiefer, Total Recall

May 10th 2011, 11:20pm

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Rather than cram the whole hoagie down your throat, here are a few nibbles of casting news:

– Aaron Eckhart, Sean Bean and AnnaSophia Robb (SOUL SURFER) will star in PAN, a dark retelling of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan”. Eckhart plays Hook, a tormented former detective on the trail of a childlike kidnapper. Sean Bean will be Smee, the chief detective and Hook’s only ally on the force. Robb will portray Wendy, the lone survivor who leaves an asylum to help in the hunt. Ben Hibon is directing (Guillermo del Toro had been involved years ago). [Screen Daily]

– Jean Reno (LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, RONIN) has joined I, ALEX CROSS, the adaptation of James Patterson’s book. Rob Cohen (THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, STEALTH) is directing, with often fat-suited cross-dresser Tyler Perry in the lead role (the vastly superior Idris Elba was once attached to the relaunch of the character, previously played by Morgan Freeman in KISS THE GIRLS and ALONG CAME A SPIDER).

The novel saw Cross leaving the FBI to open up a private psychology practice, and trying to stop The Butcher, a serial rapist/murderer who may be somehow connected to the murder of Alex’s wife. [Variety]

– Kiefer Sutherland, Gerard Depardieu, Til Schweiger, Thomas Jane, Johnny Hallyday, Jon Lovitz and Eric Cantona, along with French actors Jean Luc Couchard, Nora Arnezeder and Patrice Cols, will star in SLEIGHT OF HAND. Brad Mirman will direct (he also recently directed Sutherland’s webseries THE CONFESSION).

The action-comedy revolves around “a crew of small time crooks in Paris, who inadvertently end up possessing a rare gold coin belonging to a notorious French gangster. The leader of the crew calls his uncle (Depardieu), a retired criminal, to help them raise the money to repay the gangster. The series of mix-ups and double crosses culminate as the gangs are pit face to face, chasing through Paris.” [Cannes]

– Ethan Hawke will have an undisclosed role in the remake of TOTAL RECALL, directed by Len Wiseman (UNDERWORLD, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD). Colin Farrell takes over for Arnie in the new version of Phillip K. Dick’s sci-fi story, which this time “ditches the Martian storyline and instead involves nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai, with Douglas Quaid (Farrell) a factory worker in the latter who begins to believe he is a spy, although he doesn’t know for which side.”

The update features Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) as the main villain, with Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel up for the two leading lady roles. [THR]