According to Variety, Academy Award-nominated actor, director and playwright Sam Shepard is currently in talks to star as Beverly Weston in the forthcoming film adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play “August: Osage County”. Shepard will reportedly star alongside previously announced Academy Award winners Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, as well as Tony nominee Margo Martindale, Abigail Breslin, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dermot Mulroney and Juliette Lewis. August: Osage County will be adapted by Letts, directed by John Wells and produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, along with Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler and Clair Rudnick Polstein. Filming is set to begin in September.

This Sunday’s spotlight is “Evening”, the 2007 ensemble drama by Lajos Koltai. New DVD screencaptures have been added to the image library and three new clips can be found in the video archive. Production notes and my review after the cut. As always, please share your thoughts on “Evening” in the comments.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Benedict Cumberbatch, the Emmy-nominated actor who stars on the BBC’s Sherlock, is in negotiations to join the cast of August: Osage County, the Weinstein Co.’s adaptation of the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play. John Wells is directing the movie, which revolves around the women of a family whose lives have splintered in many directions until a crisis bring them back to their childhood home and to the dysfunctional woman (Streep) who raised them. Cumberbatch will act as the sensitive son of Streep’s sister, Mattie Fay Aiken (Margo Martindale). She castigates and belittles the man, who believes his father is Charlie Aiken (Chris Cooper), but the truth is he’s the product of an affair. The movie is eyeing a late-September start in Oklahoma. Thanks to Glenn for the heads-up.

Freihofer Casting is having another open call for extras for the film “August: Osage County” on Saturday and Sunday in Bartlesville. “We had a great turnout in Tulsa last Saturday, but we know many people were unable to attend,” casting director Chris Freihofer said in a news release from the Oklahoma Film and Music Office. “We want to open up the opportunity to as many people as possible,” he said. The film, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, is set to shoot in Oklahoma beginning in late September. The open call will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Bartlesville High School, 1700 SE Hillcrest Drive. No appointments are necessary. Freihofer said the film will need various extras during the first few weeks of filming. “We do not need babies or toddlers, but we would like to add anyone else to our pool of possibilities,” Freihofer said. More information on the casting can be found here.

This Sunday’s spotlight is “The Deer Hunter”, Michael Cimino’s 1978 classic that won Meryl her very first Oscar nomination for playing Linda. New DVD screencaptures have been added to the image with additional clips being uploaded to the video archive. Production notes and review below. As always, please share your thoughts on “The Deer Hunter” in the comments.

Yesterday, the CBS special “Teacher’s Rock” honored America’s educators with personal recollections from music stars Dave Grohl, Usher, Adam Levine and James Valentine (of Maroon 5) and by actors including three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, LL COOL J, Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Pauley Perrette, Jennifer Garner, Jack Black and Morgan Freeman, among others. The video of Meryl’s video message, recalling her own favorite teacher, can be watched in the video archive. Thanks to Tina for originally uploading it.

A couple of more vintage magazine scans, this time coming from Germany – and one from France – have been added to the image library with many thanks to Alvaro. Complete list can be found below the previews.

Image Library – Magazine Scans – 1985 – Cinema Magazin (Germany, April 1985)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 1985 – Film Demnaechst (Germany, April 1985)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 1985 – Jours de France (France, April 1985)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 1988 – RTV Magazin (Germany, December 1988)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 1990 – Kinohit (Germany, January 1990)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 1992 – Kinohit (Germany, December 1992)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 1993 – Kinohit (Germany, November 1993)

Scans from Entertainment Weekly, People Magazine and the Canadian Movie Entertainment Magazine, all covering the theatrical release of “Hope Springs” have been added to the image library. Additionally, a bunch of new scans from the weeks of “The Iron Lady” promotion have been added as well. Big thanks, as always, to Alvaro for sending these in. Full list can be found below the previews. Vintage scans to be added next.

Image Library – Magazine Scans – 2012 – Movie Entertainment (Canada, August 2012)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 2012 – People Magazine (USA, August 13, 2012)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 2012 – Entertainment Weekly (USA, August 10, 2012)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 2012 – Speak Up Magazine (Brasil, April 2012)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 2012 – TV Direkt (Germany, April 2012)
Image Library – Magazine Scans – 2012 – Bild der Frau (Germany, February 2012)

According to Deadline, Dermot Mulroney is set to star as sleazy businessman Steve in the forthcoming film adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play “August: Osage County”. Mulroney joins previously announced Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, as well as Margo Martindale, Abigail Breslin and Juliette Lewis. Adapted by Letts, directed by John Wells and produced by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, along with Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler and Claire Rudnick Polstein, the film will go before the cameras in September. Meanwhile, a casting agency is looking for extras for the film that will be shot in northeastern Oklahoma starting in late September. Freihofer Casting is holding an open call for extras for “August: Osage County” on Saturday, August 18th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Tulsa. The complete article on the casting can be found here with thanks to everybody for the heads-up!

This Sunday we spotlight “Doubt”, John Patrick Shanley’s 2008 screen adapatation of his play. Lots of media has been reorganized – there are new DVD screencaptures, on-set pictures and production stills. The video archive has been updated with compilation interviews, the making of and three clips from the film. Production notes and review after the cut. As always, please share your thougths on “Doubt” in the comments.