Jason Statham to Kill Some More People

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Today in movie and TV casting news: Jason Statham takes over for Daniel Craig, Rachel Griffiths will play one of Australia's most famous political women, and another Australian begins his takeoff.

Remember Layer Cake, the stylish little British crime flick that kicked the careers of star Daniel Craig and director Matthew Vaughn into high-gear? Well, the guy who wrote the novel that that movie is based on has written a follow-up, called Viva La Madness, which Jason Statham is eying as a starring vehicle. Same character, different actor. I won't spoil the ending of Layer Cake in case you haven't seen it yet, but let's just say this is a somewhat surprising development. But, no matter, this should be fine. Statham is not the actor that Craig is, but does this kind of movie really require nuanced, classically trained acting? It doesn't hurt, sure, but it's not necessary. This is just British toughs being tough and British, which Jason Statham knows how to do. You could say he's made a career out of it. In fact, you should say he has made a career out of it, because it is true and you should always speak the truth. So, barring the producers orchestrating an unlikely Craig/Vaughn reunion, this new version of the story should do fine. They all look alike anyway, those Brits. Sorry, that's just me. [Deadline]

You hear "movie" and "Julia Gillard" and think about what she looks like, and you assume that Australia's first female Prime Minister would be played by Tilda Swinton. Or at least by Tilda Swinton's character in Michael Clayton. But nope. That is not what's happening, at least not in an upcoming Australian TV movie. Daughter of Oz Rachel Griffiths will be playing the PM in Stalking Julia, about Gillard's clash with politician Kevin Rudd, which ended with her being ousted from office in September of this year. I doubt this movie will make it to the States — not a ton of interest in Australian domestic politics here in America — but maybe it will pop up online or something somewhere at some point. Or Tilda will do a feature film version of the same story that'll get some little indie release. One of those two things is bound to happen, right? [The Hollywood Reporter]

Australian teen actor Callan McAuliffe, who played a young Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann's lurid The Great Gatsby earlier this year, has been cast in a movie called Hacker. Not Hackers, plural. This is not some remake with McAuliffe in the Jonny Lee Miller role or anything (and Matthew Lillard sadly still playing the Matthew Lillard part). This is singular, this is different. McAuliffe will play "an intelligent and amoral computer genius" who gets in league with some shady folks with a plan to unmask their organization's leader. Seems thrilling. Anonymous ought to love this one. Me, I'm gonna stick with Angelina Jolie and Jesse Bradford walking around Manhattan like they own the place. [Variety]

Remember Elisabeth Rohm? She played the Law & Order ADA who famously said "Is this because I'm a lesbian?" after getting fired in her last episode, shocking a nation, or at least those who watched Law & Order at the time. Well, that was some time ago, and now she will be playing an FBI agent, not a lawyer, in a recurring role on the second season of The CW's Beauty and the Beast. "I'm a recurring actor on The CW's Beauty and the Beast" is maybe not the most graceful sentence an actor has ever had to say, but you know what? Work is work is work. So, good for you, Elisabeth Rohm. But, still do call up Warren Leight to see if he can get you on SVU. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Rumor has it that Adam Driver, best known as Hannah's lovable lout of an on-again off-again boyfriend on Girls, is a "serious contender" to play Dick Grayson in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie. Dick Grayson is also known as Robin aka Nightwing. Robin was (2012 spoiler alert, but seriously guys, you should know this by now) sorta played by Joseph Gordon Levitt in Christopher Nolan's last Batman film (he wasn't named Dick Grayson, though), but this new franchise isn't really fussing with that movie, so here's this new thing. Ben Affleck will play an older Batman while Driver would be his estranged buddy. So that would be kind of odd. Might work, though. It's really hard to tell with this movie. Or maybe not that hard. Man of Steel was a mess, after all, wasn't it? [The Wrap]

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