Role Call: London Calling

by · November 5, 2014

Our Casting News this week takes us to London, where a number of projects are currently afoot. Get all the latest news on what our favorite actors are up, including this week’s television appearances, by reading below!

Prior to her win of the BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Award last week, Katie Leung sent out a tweet to her followers to show what is next on her acting plate. Take a look below at Katie in rehearsals for her next role:

Last week, actor Jason Isaacs attended the After the Fall premiere at the 37th Annual Mill Valley Film Festival to promote the film. The film, in which Isaacs plays cop Frank, has been making the rounds on the film festival circuit but a nationwide release date has not yet been confirmed.

Dame Maggie Smith has been seen looking a little frumpy! Not to worry, however. The Dowager is still working the fancy dresses around Downton Abbey, but the actress who portrays her has been filming The Lady in the Van. Pictures of Smith on set were released last week showing her out and about London as the film’s titular character, Miss Shepherd. Take a look at the pics below:

This Christmas, fans of Bill Nighy and Helena Bonham Carter can purchase tickets to a night of Christmas Carols at St. Luke’s Church in Chelsea. The pair of actors will be in attendance to help raise funds for Nordoff Robbins, a national music charity, on December 16 where there will be carols, celebrity readings, and musical performances. To learn more about the event, including how to purchase tickets, visit the website here.

Nighy has also signed on for a voice role in an animated film, Norm of the North, slated for release to theaters in 2016. The film is currently in production and while not much is known about the character Bill will play, the synopsis of the project was listed on IMDb:

Displaced from their Arctic home, a polar bear named Norm and his three lemming friends wind up in New York City, where Norm becomes the mascot of a corporation he soon learns is tied to the fate of his homeland.

Stonehearst Asylum, starring Brendan Gleeson and David Thewlis, has been getting a lot of attention lately! A trailer was released a few months ago and the film was released in theaters this week. Take a look at the creepy trailer below:

Another role for John Hurt has been announced, this time pairing Hurt with Potter director David Yates on his new film, Tarzan, due in theaters in 2016. Hurt revealed the small role in the film, stating:

I’ve finished working on that. He’s always wonderful to work with, very easy is David. I don’t do a great deal in it – but it was sort of part and parcel of getting the film green-lit.

We told you last week about Jim Broadbent‘s role in the new thriller, London Spy, and now we have our first look at Jim on set! Take a look below at pics released this week showing Jim with his Paddington co-star Ben Whishaw, who also stars in the film:

Director and producer Chris Columbus has formed a new film studio with Haim Saban, Michael Barnathan, and Jeremy Zag. ZAG Animation Studios plans to release their first film, Melody, in 2017, according to Deadline. Columbus, who will co-direct the first feature, had this to say:

After all of these years, it’s fantastic to start a new venture that brings together talented artists from around the world under Jeremy’s excellent leadership and Haim’s brilliant international business experience.

BBC Worldwide North America have picked up the rights to Queen and Country, starring David Thewlis. You can read a synopsis of the film below, which is scheduled for release in the US and Canada next year after its premiere at the New York Film Festival this month:

An Englishman who grew up in London during World War II joins the military to fight in the Korean War in a portrait of post-WWII England, a time of National Service and continued rationing.

Finally, we have a number of appearances scheduled for the rest of this week – John Cleese is set to appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart  today, 11/5; David Tennant will appear on Thursday 11/6 on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Daniel Radcliffe rounds out his week of television appearances on Conan Thursday on TBS. Check your local listings for showtimes!

That’s all for this week’s Casting News! Did you find any new projects you’re interested in seeing? Tell us what you think below, on Facebook, or sending us a Tweet!