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Monday, July 16, 2012

Okeniyi Goes For 2 Films

Nigerian actor Dayo Okeniyi ("The Hunger Games") has won roles in the film adaptation of Tim Tharp's coming-of-age novel "The Spectacular Now" and the online gambling thriller "Runner, Runner" says The Hollywood Reporter.


"Now" is planned as an indie R-rated teen comedy, and the film centers on a high school senior (Miles Teller) who lives entirely in the moment. He starts dating a girl (Shailene Woodley of "The Descendants") who is a social outcast and is trying to plan for her future, but he realizes he has the power to permanently impact someone's life.

Marc Webb was originally attached to direct but chose to helm the The Amazing Spider-Man instead. And then Lee Toland Krieger ("The Vicious Kind") was gonna do it but has moved on--now "Smashed" helmer James Ponsoldt will call action on the film.

Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber ((500) Days of Summer) adapted the script .

Tom McNulty is producing the flick.

In "Runner" Justin Timberlake stars as a Princeton University student who gets pulled into the world of online gambling in order to help bankroll his expensive education. After he loses money he flies to Costa Rica hoping to reclaim his losses from the site's billionaire owner (Ben Affleck) and ends up becoming the corrupt CEO's right-hand man.

Anthony Mackie is in talks to play an FBI agent who has spent years trying to bring down Affleck's character and sees Timberlake as a way in. Project X co-star Oliver Cooper will play an Ivy League computer nerd who gets hired along with Timberlake's character. Gemma Arterton plays JT's love interest. Ben Schwartz will play Timberlake’s friend. Broadway actor Michael Esper will play a tattooed man who is immersed in online gaming and works as an affiliate for the poker company at the center of the story.

Brad Furman ("The Lincoln Lawyer") will direct from a script by "Rounders" scribes Brian Koppelman and David Levien.

Koppelman, Levien, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher and Scott Steindorff will produce the pic.

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