Chris Evans and the Kassen Brothers Talk Puncture, Captain America and the Tribeca Film Festival

In a few short months, moviegoers will get to see Chris Evans fight the evil Red Skull in the big-budget franchise starter Captain America: First Avenger. Before he bursts into the superhero stratosphere, however, Evans has to fight some equally imposing foes in Puncture, a film about drug addiction and health care group purchasing organizations that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this week.

Based on a true story, Puncture stars Evans as Mike Weiss, a drug-addicted Houston personal injury lawyer, who — along with his partner Paul Danziger — fought to get safe syringes into all U.S. hospitals to prevent health care workers from being stuck with infected needles.

The feature directorial debut of Mark and his brother Adam (producers on HBO’s Bernard and Doris), Puncture is a hybrid film — at once a harrowing tale of addiction and the crippling grip it can have on those in its throes, and a David vs. Goliath legal battle reminiscent of Michael Clayton. At the center of the film is Evans, in a far departure from his comic book work in The Losers and Fantastic Four. He makes Mike both sympathetic and infuriating — the type of guy who has his heart in the right place, but sabotages himself with every popped pill and crack-smoke inhale.

As of this writing, Puncture doesn’t have distribution, but following a well-received Tribeca Film Festival premiere on Thursday night, a timely subject matter and the burgeoning star power of Evans, expect that to change relatively soon. Movieline caught up with Evans and the Kassen brothers in midtown on Friday just before lunch to discuss Puncture, the importance of debuting the film at Tribeca, and just how Evans wound up starring as Mike Weiss.

The one thing I was very surprised by was how recent the events Puncture is based on happened. You don’t really think of dirty needles in hospitals being a problem in the last 15 years — it’s shocking that the safety needles took so long to break through.

Mark Kassen: That’s the thing — the breakthrough in medical science already happened. It’s the mechanism that’s broken in a way that the breakthrough — or something similar — can’t get to people who need it. People say there is not enough electric technology or solar technology or wind technology because it’s not cost-effective. This is not that problem. This is just that mechanism of distribution is broken.

Was this something you were aware of before? How did you guys find this story — did Paul Danziger contact you?

Adam Kassen: Paul sent us the script — Paul sent us a version of the script. Like you, we were surprised by that story. We hadn’t heard this either. Also, at a time — as it continues to be — where health care is at the forefront of the political arena, this was an interesting window on that debate. In particular, our parents are both front-line health care professionals, and in all the debate about health care you don’t really hear too much about those people. So, that connected to us on a personal level. And then the character that Chris played, Mike, was this amazing, brilliant, tragic hero. And we thought if we got the right actor — which we were lucky enough to get — it could be a really special movie.

We got Chris Lopata, who is a friend of ours — a writer we’ve been working with for a bunch of years, who’s great; we worked with him for about a year. We got it to a place where we really loved the script, and we sent it to Chris, and Chris was nice enough to take a meeting. And as we keep saying, we got him drunk, and…

Chris Evans: I signed my life away! [Laughs]

You took Puncture before being cast in Captain America. At the time, were you specifically looking for something more character-driven like this?

CE: I think my team — my agents and managers — know the type of scripts that I like, the types of characters that I enjoy. My team sent me this and said, ‘You’re going to like this. We know you’re going to like this.’ I gave it a read, and I did. Within ten pages, I just loved the character — and then it turned out to be a great story. I was like, ‘This is awesome, I can’t believe this is in my ballpark. This is a possibility for me, no one is going to take this from me.’ I met with these guys, and at the end of the day you need good directors. If you don’t have good directors, it doesn’t matter how good the script or the character is. With them, I felt completely comfortable and confident, and I said, ‘This is great. I can’t believe these guys are foolish enough to just give me this movie.’

As a character, Mike is a departure for you. Are you going to try to do more of these types of roles going forward, perhaps to balance out being a major superhero like Captain America?

CE: Yeah, of course! You gotta. The Captain America stuff is great, it’s fun. I actually do connect to the character; I love that character. But for me, the thing I struggle with on those films is the process. The way the film is made. It’s a very big movie, there’s a lot of waiting around. This film, we shot… 25 days?

AK: 25 days.

CE: 25 filming days! That’s insane. It’s like 90-something with Captain America. We’re doing 7-to-8 pages a day on Puncture, and Captain America, we get — y’know, half a page. We’re lucky if we get a page.

AK: I know, you’re like: ‘We did 16 page days here, today we did 6/8th of a page.’

CE: 6/8ths of a page. I had one line today. I had one line!

MK: Throw a shield! Duck! Head down! [Laughs]

CE: And we do that a million times. This movie, you came home and you felt like you made a movie. You felt like an actor. You felt like, ‘I did my job today. I did what I love to do. I came to set and had to be ready on a bunch of different levels.’ And it’s rewarding. It’s satisfying. I certainly want to make sure that I keep doing these things.

The relationship Mike has with Paul in the film reminded me a little bit of the relationship the characters played by Matt Damon and Ed Norton had in Rounders. Did you guys do a lot of preparation beforehand to really hone the chemistry?

MK: We went on a retreat. [laughs] We went to Barbados. No, we didn’t really do that.

AK: No, but what they did do [was hang out]. Chris came down to Houston, and — besides us hanging out in LA beforehand — we spent some time just walking around the city. Meeting the actual real characters involved, together. The two of them, through rehearsal, talked through the script themselves, worked on material — things that worked, things that didn’t. That prep time kinda helped us get to know each other, and allowed all of us to feel comfortable. And the nice result of it was that Mark and Chris had a really great chemistry between them.

MK: Also, Chris and I — I think we all are people that… we do this for a living, because we like other things. We spent more time talking about other stuff in life — or in the world — while walking around Houston. Sorta doing that you get to know people on a real level, which was the hope. Also, as an actor, we really wanted to be a partner in something. We really wanted this to work. Otherwise, what we ask is too demanding.

You mentioned on Thursday night how you guys spent almost a year researching the film. Were you two doing investigative reporter-style work, trying to find out whatever you could about Mike’s story?

AK: More documentary-style. We were trying to get everybody’s side of the story. So we met with most of the players in the movie, who had a lot to say about it. And there’s stuff written about it — a lot of the information about the needle stuff. The actual footage in the movie of some of the stuff you saw in Africa was from a real documentary called Injection. It’s a really interesting documentary that talks about some of the real needle tragedies that happened overseas. So there’s information out there — and like you said, we were really surprised that this was actually happening.

MK: I’d say that’s one of the single biggest comments we get about the subject of the movie. People can’t believe they didn’t know about this.

So the goal is to get people to know about this. Puncture hasn’t been picked up for distribution yet, but with Chris’ Captain America star power and the health care peg, do you think it will?

AK: We’ve been producing films and television stuff. For us it’s like, we made it. We did our work. And we have people that will show it to the people and put it places. It will have a life somewhere.

MK: This will have a life somewhere. We’re proud of it. And people will decide where it goes.

You guys are from upstate New York — does debuting your first feature film at the 10th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival mean a lot?

AK: Yeah, because the city is our adoptive home. We’ve lived here all of our adult life, and even with this film: we started developing it here, we posted it here. We still consider this is our film community. So to have our directorial debut be at Tribeca Film Festival really means the world to us.

Source: http://www.movieline.com/

Edgar Wright on Brandon Routh, Chris Evans & Scott Pilgrim

While promoting the film in Britain, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World director Edgar Wright addressed a number of issues, among them the casting of former superheroes in the film in the form of Brandon Routh and Chris Evans.

"Both of them really relish the opportunity to show off their comedic chops. They've got real presence and timing," says Wright. "It was more interesting for me to cast people that you maybe know from another genre. They also had to pose a real physical threat to Michael Cera and I think if I'd had people that you would think off as comedy actors in those parts it might have been different. I wanted it to be interesting matches in terms of the exes and Michael."

As to the film, which is still unreeling internationally, he adds, "It's taking the trials of love and presenting them as a visual metaphor. The inspiration for the book by Bryan Lee O'Malley was the idea that when you date someone you demonise their exes. Whether that is true or just in your mind, the idea just snowballed from there. It wasn't a superhero film or a generic sci-fi tale, it was essentially, deep down, a date movie, a rites of passage."

Source: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/

Captain America’s cowl weighed heavily on Chris Evans

a fanmade pic, for more click the following link:
http://marcel0.deviantart.com/art/Captain-America-Concept-Art-162150052

Chris Evans considered turning down his role as Captain America because he was reluctant to tackle a potentially “life-changing role.” The “Fantastic Four” star - and Sudbury homeboy - has landed the lead in upcoming comic-book blockbuster “The First Avenger: Captain America,” opposite British newcomer Hayley Atwell. But the actor, 28, admitted he had reservations about signing up for such a high-profile part, as he feels more comfortable on the sidelines in a supporting role. He told Britain’s Empire maggie: “It was a couple of weeks weighing all the options. There was certainly a period where I was shying away from the movie. It’s intimidating. It’s pretty daunting. There’s certainly a life-changing role there and that was part of the process,” he said. “Did I want to take this on? I like supporting roles, I like the way my life is now and I have the best of both worlds. This would potentially change that. But you know what? This could be a good thing.” And Evans revealed he has never read a Captain America story so he’s preparing for the role by catching up on his comic-book reading.

By Herald Wire Services
Sunday, May 2, 2010

source: http://www.bostonherald.com/

Marvel Studios Talks Chris Evans as Captain America: The First Avenger

Kevin Fiege discusses casting Chris Evans

Fans of the Marvel comic book character Captain America will want to make sure that they don't miss the new Marvel film Iron Man 2, opening on May 7th, as something long associated with the hero makes a brief appearance. In fact, the character's equipment actually had similar cameos in the first Iron Man film and in a deleted scene from The Incredible Hulk, proving that Marvel has been planning for some time to bring the character's adventures to the big screen. It was recently announced that actor Chris Evans would be donning the red, white and blue costume of the WWII hero, first in Joe Johnston's Captain America: The First Avenger and later in Joss Whedon's The Avengers. The actor already has quite a comic book film resume already having appeared as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
in both Fantastic Four and it's sequel Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer, as well as the recent film The Losers and this summer's upcoming Edgar Wright directed film, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Yesterday, we had a chance to sit down with Marvel Studios President of Production, Kevin Fiege, while he was out promoting Iron Man 2. We asked Fiege if he had any concerns with casting Chris Evans in the pivotal role because of his close association to another Marvel character and his comic book film resume? This is what he had to say:
"Yeah, I mean The Losers and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World I don't think so but frankly yeah, I didn't even consider him for a long time because of the Human Torch. I didn't purposely not consider him but he wasn't on the radar. Frankly I was watching for other reasons Sunshine again, then I was talking to Edgar Wright about him and I started to see how he is growing. By the way I thought he was great in those two Fantastic Four movies, he was a standout in those movies. I started to look at how he's grown since then. We sat down and talked in a meeting and I said, oh my God, Steve Rodgers is sitting in front of me right now and I hadn't seen it for a long time. When we sat down and specifically started talking about Cap, yeah it was immediate. Cause Cap has a lot of size and is nothing like Johnny Storm. As you start to see more of Chris and where he is growing as an actor it's into a much more Steve Rodgers type place. He's in England now; he got on one of the first flights after the volcano nonsense went away. He's over there now prepping and rehearsing and the pictures that are coming back and the costume tests are pretty stunning."

Source: http://www.movieweb.com/

Marvel confirms Chris Evans as Captain America

Today, Marvel has made an official statement saying that Chris Evans is indeed Captain America

This is the full press release:

Marvel Studios has officially confirmed that Chris Evans will star as Captain America in the studio's highly anticipated movie THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA directed by Joe Johnston from a script penned by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel, Stratton Leopold and Louis D'Esposito will executive produce. The film will be released in the US on July 22, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America.

Chris Evans will next star in Sylvain White's THE LOSERS. He will also star in Edgar Wright's SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD. He recently wrapped production on PUNCTURE and he will soon start production on WHATS YOUR NUMBER. Evans previous credits include starring as Johnny Storm in the FANTASTIC FOUR Films, Danny Boyle's SUNSHINE and David Ayer's STREET KINGS.

In addition to THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA, Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including the highly anticipated sequel, IRON MAN 2, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow on May 7, 2010, THOR on May 6, 2011, and THE AVENGERS on May 4, 2012.

Evans is represented by CAA, 3 Arts Entertainment and his attorney at Stone, Meyer, Genow, Smelkinson & Binder.

Chris Evans is Captain America

(a fanmade pic that circulates on the internet)

Chris Evans accepts 'Captain America' mantle

Chris Evans will play Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America.
Sources tell us the actor has not only accepted Marvel's offer, first detailed on Friday, but that the dealmaking moved so fast it's now all about dotting the i's and crossing the t's.
Marvel would not comment on the development, and CAA, which reps the actor, declined comment.

Evans was offered the role in Marvel Studios' production last week, but there was some question of whether he would accept. Factoring in to the choice was the fact that Evans played Johnny Storm, the flame-covered superhero known as the Human Torch in Fox's "Fantastic Four" movies. Was he ready to play another superhero and take on the trappings that come with such a high-profile part?

Evans took a few days to think it over, and once he decided he was willing to wield the shield, negotiations moved quickly over the weekend.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Chris Evans offered role of Captain America

Chris Evans is one step closer to the role of Captain America.

Sources tell us the actor, who once donned superhero garb in two "Fantastic Four" movies, has been offered the role of Captain America.

Marvel has not confirmed the development and CAA, which reps the actor, declined to comment.
Evans' offer would include starring in up to three "America" movies plus "The Avengers" movies and appearances in several other Marvel movies. While an offer to star in "America" may seem like something you don't have to mull over too long, one possible complication is that Evans is committed to co-starring in the Anna Faris romantic comedy "What's Your Number?" Both are scheduled to shoot this summer.

The role of Captain America and his alter ego Steve Rogers has been one of the most heavily scrutinized parts by the industry, the media and the comic book fandom in recent memory.
Evans wasn’t in the initial round of actors being considered, which for the most part leaned to the newcomer side. Michael Cassidy, Patrick Flueger, Scott Porter, Wilson Blethel and Mike Vogel, on top of John Krasinski and Chace Crawford, were those testing and reading. Garrett Hedlund was also someone Marvel was interested in.

Evans, who did not screen test, already has a relationship with Marvel, having starred as Johnny Storm, the fire-covered superhero in the two “Fantastic Four” movies that Fox released in 2005 and 2007. There is some question whether fans would be accepting of an actor who already played a Marvel superhero just a few years ago, but given that the movies were not well embraced, with no one faulting the actors, Evans might have a clean slate with moviegoers.

Joe Johnston is directing “America,” which shoots in England.

Evans, also repped by 3 Arts Entertainment, has the DC Comics adaptation “The Losers” in the can and also appears in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” Edgar Wright’s adaptation of the popular Oni Press graphic novel series.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Chris Evans for Captain America?

Who wields the shield? 'Captain America' casting update

Who will wield the shield?
The answer of whom will hold Captain America’s shield and play alter ego Steve Rogers is still in Marvel’s hands, but the list of actors is being whittled down.

Wilson Bethel, who starred in HBO’s “Generation Kill” and currently appearing in “The Young and the Restless,” is still in the running as is Mike Vogel, who appeared in “Cloverfield” and CBS’ “Miami Medical.”

Meanwhile, Chris Evans, currently shooting "Safety Point" in Texas, has read for the part and has a test offer which may come to fruition next week. Garrett Hedlund has not tested yet though Marvel is very keen on him.

Actors previously reported as testing including John Krasinski, Michael Cassidy, Chace Crawford, among others, are no longer on the list.

The part calls for a nine-picture deal, the second of which would be the “Avengers” movie. That project could start shooting as soon as January 2011.

Taking a shot on relative unknowns such as Bethel and Vogel is not out of the realm of possibility as many tentpoles and franchises are handing out the keys to up-and-comers. Paramount and J.J. Abrams took a chance on Chris Pine to play Capt. Kirk while James Cameron put his trust in Sam Worthington.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

What's Your Number?

Anna Faris And Chris Evans Ask 'What’s Your Number?' In New Rom Com

Is Anna Faris the new go to girl for female focused versions of male-driven comedies? Two weeks ago we learned the “House Bunny” actress will co-star with Jennifer Garner in “The Bachelorette Party,” a comedy pitched as a female version of “The Hangover."
She remains a rumored choice for the role of the first female Ghostbuster in “Ghostbusters III.” And now she’s set for an R-rated rom-com titled “What’s Your Number?” that sounds loosely like a woman’s take on “High Fidelity.”

According to Variety , Anna will play a woman who realizes she’s had too many sexual partners and so pays a visit to all her ex-loves in order to “find the man of her dreams.” Basically, she’s desperate to settle down and believes one of these former boyfriends was the one that got away. She’s just not sure which. Along for the personal journey is her playboy neighbor (Chris Evans). Who wants to bet she falls for him rather than on one of the exes?

Anna and Chris are a promising pairing. Both are underrated performers who make their fair share of Hollywood fluff (she’s best known for the “Scary Movie” franchise, while he’s best known for “Fantastic Four”), yet each has shown real acting talent in dramatic films like “Brokeback Mountain” and “Sunshine,” respectively. Anna is still primarily a brilliant comedic force, even in serious fare, so it’s not like this talent is wasted on romantic comedies. If anything, she raises the profile of the genre.

“What’s Your Number?” is based on Karyn Bosnak’s debut novel “20 Times a Lady,” which was first adapted by Bosnack and then polished by sitcom writers Jennifer Crittenden (“Seinfeld”) and Gabrielle Allan (“Scrubs”). “Entourage” producer and director Mark Mylod will begin shooting the movie this May.

By Christopher Campbell
Source: MTV.com

Stone, Evans and Van Houten Get Satisfaction

Source:Fang October 5, 2009 by http://www.comingsoon.net/

Sharon Stone recently revealed in Prestige magazine that she will start shooting Satisfaction in January 2010. To be directed by Anya Camilleri, the drama will co-star Chris Evans and Carice van Houten (Valkyrie).According Stone, Satisfaction is "about a male prostitute in London who loses the older woman who's been taking care of him, and the call-out agency he's worked for is tired of his behavior and don't want to send him out any more. He goes looking for someone else to take care of him and he keeps trying to come on to [my character]. You think they have legitimately fallen in love, by his behavior and her behavior – until the call-out service starts sending him out again while he's with her. He starts trying to break her down. And it's incredible what they do together: a very, very fascinating journey."

The movie, written by Simon Burke, will film in London and Rome.

(I hope this news is true. Besides the fact that it's an interesting role for Chris Evans, Carice van Houten is there, one of the best Dutch actricess. This sounds too good to be true...

Deronda,)

Complete Look at the Full Cast of Sylvain White's The Losers

July 13, 2009 by Alex Billington (www.firstshowing.net)

If you hadn't already heard, Matrix producer Joel Silver is developing an adaptation of the Vertigo comic series The Losers at Warner Brothers (already due for release next April). Sylvain White, of Stomp the Yard previously, is writing and directing, making this his first foray into big-budget action. With the news today (via THR) that Holt McCallany has joined the cast, I thought it would be as good a time as any to do a full-fledged feature on the film (and its cast), as I haven't written about it that much before today. The best part of this project is the impressive ensemble cast that Sylvain was gathered up, so let's take a closer look.


Here's the plot (from Wikipedia): Originally a Special Forces team seconded to the CIA in the 90s, the Losers were betrayed by their handler, Max, and left for dead following the conclusion of their operation. Eager for revenge and the opportunity to remove their names from a secret CIA death list, the Losers regroup and conduct covert operations against the CIA and its interests, uncovering startling operations spearheaded by the enigmatic Max, whose influence within the CIA and US government is unparalleled.


The Losers:


Jeffrey Dean Morgan is Clay: The Leader, easily identified by a consistent use of black suits without ties. Commonly referred to as 'the Colonel,' perhaps alluding to his rank prior to the team's "death." A meticulous planner, initiative-taker and an excellent leader, Clay harbors the largest grudge against Max, at times appearing visibly angry at the mention of his name.


Idris Elba is Roque: The second-in-command, easily identified by the large, vertical scar down the right side of his face and icy demeanor. His ruthless thirst for money motivates a majority of his actions, including the serial betrayal of the Losers and many of his underlings.


Chris Evans is Jensen: The hacker of the group, characterized by his spiky blonde hair, glasses and a conspicuous beard on his chin. Known for his nonstop motormouth that often leads him into trouble and a variety of conversational tangents.


Óscar Jaenada is Cougar: The sniper, identified by his cowboy hat and haunted demeanor. Morose and laconic as a result of a traumatic combat incident in Afghanistan. An absolute genius with the rifle.


Columbus Short is Pooch: The pilot of the group, identifiable by his shaved head and laid-back appearance, has been known to pilot any ground, air or sea vehicle with ease. Despite his involvement with the CIA and Special Forces, is also married with children.


Zoe Saldana is Aisha: The loose cannon who partners with the Losers in light of their common goal of killing Max. Skilled in all combat skills, with particular emphasis on melee and reconnaissance, stemming from a harsh upbringing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. A cold-blooded killer who prefers to leave corpses rather than survivors when she engages the enemy.


The Bad Guys:


Jason Patric is Max: A Keyser Söze-like mastermind wielding unprecedented, covert influence over the US intelligence community and military institutions. Organized the assassination of Aisha's father, a slave trader and local warlord, and the subsequent "accident" of the Losers when they went off-mission. Although the current Max enjoys substantial influence over the CIA and infamy throughout the Black Ops community, the "Max" codename predates the CIA itself by several years.


Holt McCallany is Wade: A "psychotic mercenary" who is involved in the Santa Maria massacre witnessed by the Losers in Colombia. Also described by THR as a "Special Forces officer who has left the group." My guess is that he becomes a henchman for Max in the movie, but who knows.


At one point earlier this year, Jeremy Renner mentioned that he was up for a role in The Losers, although it looks like that didn't pan out. I haven't actually read the comics myself (you can read some sample chapters over on Vertigo's website), but there's something about this comic series and adaptation that just intrigues me. I don't expect it to necessarily be groundbreaking, but its got a great mix of actors and I think it should at least be pretty action-packed and thrilling. As for Sylvain White, I can only say I hope he does a good job.


The Losers is already scheduled to hit theaters on April 16th, which means they better start shooting in the next few months or they won't make that release. I believe this might be one of the first "anti-hero" comic book adaptations we'll see - where the story isn't necessarily about a group of good guys looking to kill bad guys. It's about a group of good guys who were betrayed and thus turn into bad guys and go after who we're supposed to perceive is a good guy, or is at least working for the CIA. As I said, nothing groundbreaking, but potentially an exciting action thriller with a fantastic cast. We'll be keeping our eye on this, so stay tuned!

New project for Chris?

Chris Evans the latest among THE LOSERS

Actor in talks for Jensen role

By Rob M. Worley April 20, 2009

Comics2Film at Mania.com can report exclusively that Chris Evans is likely to be the next addition to the cast of the film version of the DC Comics/Vertigo comic 'The Losers'.

The film focuses on a elite group of special forces operatives who are betrayed by their handlers and left for dead. Surviving the setup, they embark on a series of wildcat ops designed to clear their own names and bring down the government agency that sold them out. The fast-paced, critically-acclaimed comic was created by writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock.

Sources tell us that Evans is in negotiations for the role of Jensen, the fast-talking tech whiz of the team. Seems a perfect match for Evans who has established himself both a compelling action star and a comedic presence as well.

Evans is no stranger to comic-based fare. He's known to fans as Johnny Storm, the sole bright spot in the 'Fantastic Four' movies, and voiced Casey Jones in the 'TMNT' revamp. He plays a role in the currently-filming 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World' and most recently starred in the comic-related 'Push'.

Evans would join Jeffrey Dean Morgan ('Watchmen') who stars as Clay, the leader of the team. Also recent cast are Idris Elba ('The Wire') as Roque and Zoe Saldana ('Star Trek') as Aisha. Sylvain White is directing, with production set to start later this year.

Kill Your Darlings

Indie finds trio of 'Darlings'

Jesse Eisenberg, Chris Evans, Ben Whishaw cast in drama

By Gregg Kilday

March 17, 2009, 10:58 PM ET

Jesse Eisenberg, Chris Evans and Ben Whishaw will star in the indie ensemble film "Kill Your Darlings," the account of a murder that led to the birth of the Beat Generation.



John Krokidas, who penned the script with Austin Bunn, will make his feature directorial debut with the project, which will star Whishaw as Lucien Carr, the Columbia University undergrad who brought together a circle of writers that included Allen Ginsberg, to be played by Eisenberg, and Jack Kerouac, to be played by Evans.



Killer Films' Christine Vachon will produce with D/F Management's Steve Dontanville exec producing. John Wells, who has a deal to provide Killer's overhead, will serve as exec producer.



Eisenberg, who appeared in "The Squid and the Whale," headlines Greg Motolla's "Adventureland," which bows later this month. Evans is currently filming Edgar Wright's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." Whishaw most recently appeared in "The International" and will next be seen in "The Tempest."



Killer's financial partner, GC Corp, is working in conjunction with CAA, which also reps Krokidas.

Chris new role in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

It seems that Chris' new role will be that of Lucas Lee, a character out of the comic book series Scott Pilgrim vs. The World by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Lucas Lee is a skateboarder and wannabee moviestar and he is one of the seven evil ex's of Ramona V. Flowers. Chris has joined the cast this week.