'Short Term 12' Star Keith Stanfield Joins 'The Purge 2'

While he probably won't get any nominations for Best Supporting Actor (although I certainly think he should), there's no denying Keith Stanfield was the other breakout star of Short Term 12 alongside Brie Larson. The possibility still exists he'll take home some Oscar gold for the original song, "So You Know What Its Like" (which you can listen to here), but for now he's using his newfound success to land a role in a big time horror sequel.

Stanfield has joined the cast of The Purge 2, the follow-up to last summer's $90M hit. The film will feature an all new cast of Frank Grillo, Kiele Sanchez, Michael K. Williams, Zach Gilford, Carmen Ejogo, and Zoe Soul, but take place in the same world in which the government allows one 12-hour period per year when all violent crime is legal. 

A solid move towards the mainstream for Stanfield who appears to have a very bright future ahead. The Purge 2 is directed by James DeMonaco and opens June 20th.

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Michael K. Williams, Carmen Ejogo, and More Join 'The Purge 2'

Last summer's horror smash The Purge had a brilliant central idea that seemed ready made for further exploration. Basically one day a year all laws against violent crime are lifted, so that people can get all of the anger and hatred out of their system. The $3M-budgeted flick cranked out $90M, another low budget smash for Blumhouse Productions, and a sequel was quickly ordered with returning writer/director James DeMonaco. Now the cast continues to come together with four new additions, joining the previously cast Frank Grillo.

THR reports Michael K. Williams, Zach Gilford, Carmen Ejogo, and Kiele Sanchez have joined the film, which will take place in a similar setting as the prior film, although as Jason Blum told us some months ago it will be on a much larger canvas and go deeper into some of the political themes hinted at.  Williams is of course best known for HBO's Boardwalk Empire and The Wire, also landing a small part in 12 Years a Slave. Ejogo turned heads in last year's Sparkle remake, while Gilford is probably recognized from his years on Friday Night Lights. Sanchez starred in the deceptively brilliant A Perfect Getaway but she'll always just be the one who got buried alive on Lost because fans hated her character.  She currently stars in The Glades, a show that always seems interesting but not enough to actually follow.

The Purge 2 opens next year on June 20th 2014.

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Hailee Steinfeld Stars in 'Ten Thousand Saints' ' Frank Grillo Leads 'The Purge 2'; 'Mockingjay' Adds Robert Knepper

 * Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini swung and missed badly with the Kristen Wiig dramedy Girl Most Likely, somehow finding a way to waste the actress' comedic talents. So they're going to try something a little different, casting Hailee Steinfeld in the punk rock film, Ten Thousand Saints. Based on Eleanor Henderson's novel, the 1980s-set New York drama follows "Vermont teenager Jude, who moves in with his hippie dad in NYC after his best friend Teddy overdoses. There he falls in with the no drugs, no sex, no meat straight-edge hardcore punk scene of the East Village." Steinfeld will play Eliza, the mother of Teddy's child. [Deadline]

* After Blumhouse Productions scored another low-budget horror smash with The Purge, earning $89M at a cost of only $3M, a sequel was quickly green lit, although we knew it was coming long before then. Now the cast is starting to come together and it looks like the sequel go away from Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey's terrorized family. Deadline reports Frank Grillo will headline the film, which will bring back writer/director James DeMonaco. No other details are available except that we can expect the legalized violence to be unleashed June 20th 2014. Grillo will be seen next as Crossbones in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

* In case you missed it, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is sort of a big deal, banking $676M worldwide in just a couple of weeks. That bodes pretty well for the two-part finale, Mockingjay, which began casting some months ago and continues to do so. Robert Knepper (R.I.P.D.) is the latest to sign on, and while that's not a big deal the character he's playing may anger some fans of the novel. He'll play Antonius, someone who doesn't appear in any of Suzanne Collins' books and appears to be a totally new creation. What's up with that? He's apparently a villain working under the employ of President Snow. Knepper joins Julianne Moore and the cast of the prior films for Mockingjay Part 1 on November 21st 2014.

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