Luke Bracey Is Younger Marsden In "Best Of Me"

Aussie Luke Bracey has joined the cast of the film adaptation of author Nicholas Sparks' novel called The Best of Me says Deadline.

The story follows two former small-town high school sweethearts (James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan) from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they’ve taken wildly divergent paths but neither has forgotten their first love affair and the past is confronted when they return to their hometown for a funeral.

Marsden takes over the role that the late Paul Walker was originally slated to play. Marsden beat out Joe Manganiello for the part,.

Bracey will play the younger version of Marsden's character.

Will Fetters ("The Lucky One") did a rewrite of J. Mills Goodloe's adapted script draft from which Michael Hoffman ("The Last Station") is due to direct

Sparks, Denise Dinovi, Theresa Park and Ryan Kavanaugh are producing

Eight of the sixteen fiction novels Sparks has published so far, have been turned into big screen films.