Since the teaser trailer surprised everyone earlier in the summer, there’s still very little known about J.J. Abrams’ “Super 8.” We know it’s coming next summer, we know Abrams is directing, and that Steven Spielberg is producing, and we know that a train crashed in 1979, a train which had something inside, something that wanted to get out… It may follow the rumored logline of three siblings who catch a glimpse of a creature in some footage of the titular film format, it may not.
The film went before cameras yesterday, and Vulture had the names of the first two cast members over the weekend: Kyle Chandler (TV’s “Friday Night Lights”) and Elle Fanning (Sofia Coppola’s upcoming “Somewhere”). Now The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed those two names, who’ll be playing the film’s leads, and added a fistful of others to the mix.
Ron Eldard (“House of Sand and Fog”), Noah Emmerich (“The Truman Show”), Gabriel Basso (Showtime’s “The Big C”), Joel Courtney (indie “29 Reasons To Run”), Zach Mills (“Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium”) and newcomers Riley Griffiths and Ryan Lee are all on board the picture, in unknown roles.
It may not be a cast to immediately get the pulse racing, but casting has always been one of Abrams’ strengths: think of the excellent “Lost” ensemble, or the motley group of TV stars and character actors that made the cast of “Star Trek” gel so well. The biggest surprise? No role for Abrams’ BFF Greg Grunberg…
