the industry

Industry Roundup: Heigl, Dunst

Forever Young: Katherine Heigl will star in The Age of Adaline, an “epic love story” written by Mills Goodloe and Sal Paskowitz, which follows a young woman born at the turn of the 20th century who is “rendered ageless” after an accident. After spending many years on her own, she meets a “man who might be worth losing her immortality.” Someone should really set this woman up with Richard Alpert. [HR]

Road Trip: Kirsten Dunst has joined the cast of the upcoming adaptation of On The Road, Walter Salles and Francis Ford Coppola’s take on the Jack Kerouac 1957 classic novel. The cast already includes Kristen Stewart, Sam Riley (Control) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy). Perhaps Dunst will be able to give Stewart some tips on how to maintain a flourishing career after appearing in a high-profile film franchise. Oh wait. [Variety]

Hug It Out: HBO is developing a “female-centric” comedy from the producers of Entourage which would follow a group of female friends “working and finding romance in Los Angeles.” The show will be produced by Entourage’s Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson, along with Leah Rachel and Emily Montague, who developed the concept together. The new series will not be as “Hollywood-centric” as Entourage, sources said. That’s cool, just don’t let Ari near these ladies, please. [HR]

The Half Back Full-Time: Angus T. Jones, who plays Jake on Two and a Half Men, is close to finalizing a deal with Warner Bros TV to stay on the CBS hit for two more seasons. The 16-year-old’s salary is said to be in the low-to-mid $100,000-per-episode range. Phew, now that this is squared away, the speculating about the future of this show should totally be over. [Deadline]

Wild Times: Shirley MacLaine, Maria Bello and Christina Ricci are attached to star in Wild Oats, an action-comedy directed by Scott Marshall about a retired widow who gets lucky when she receives a Social Security payment made out for $900,000 instead of $900. She then takes her granddaughter to Vegas, only to attract media attention and eventually become a fugitive. For those of you who totally dug the crazy hijinks of The Hangover but really wished Shirley MacLaine was playing Bradley Cooper’s part. [Variety]

Four Minus 9 Actor: Timothy Olyphant (Justified) will be replacing Sharlto Copley (District 9) in the DreamWorks flick I Am Number Four. Copley had to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts with his upcoming press obligations for The A-Team. Olyphant will be playing a guardian/mentor to the film’s title character, an alien-masking-as-human played by Alex Pettyfer. This is a shame since Copley obviously has ample experience dealing with aliens. [Variety]

Aussie Dog: FX has given the green light to the pilot Wilfred, a live-action comedy which is based on an Australian series of the same name. David Zuckerman (Family Guy) is adapting the new version, which he described as “about a guy, the girl next door, and mixed-breed dog, Wilfred, who is part Labrador retriever and part Russell Crowe on a bender.” Wow, this show sure sounds zany, huh? [Deadline]

Wedding Team Reunites: P. J. Hogan and Toni Collette, who worked together on Murial’s Wedding, will team up again on Mental, about a “charismatic, crazy hothead” who changes a family’s life when she becomes the nanny of five girls. Hogan wrote the script, which is based on his own experiences. Let’s hope Collette isn’t required to gain 40 pounds for this role as she did for Wedding. [Variety]

Minus D: Interpol will head out on tour this summer headlining dates across the U.S. and also opening for U2 in both America and Europe. Meanwhile, the band promises some “very exciting new recruits” to take the place of departed bassist Carlos D. Such suspense! [Pitchfork]

Industry Roundup: Heigl, Dunst