Daniel Dae Kim Joins 'Insurgent'; Judi Dench Has 'Tulip Fever'; Zac Efron Spins DJ Project

* Lost alum and current Hawaii Five-O star Daniel Dae Kim has come aboard Insurgent, the Divergent sequel starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James. Kim will play Jack Kang, leader of the Candor faction. He joins other newcomers to the franchise Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, Jonny Weston, and Suki Waterhouse. Insurgent opens March 20th 2015.

* Two things every period drama should have and sadly not enough do: a script by Tom Stoppard and a role for Dame Judi Dench. Fortunately, Tulip Fever now has both with the cherished actress coming aboard to join Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Christoph Waltz, Zack Galifianakis, Holliday Grainger, Jack O'Connell, and other new addition, Glee star Matthew Morrison. Justin Chadwick is directing the adaptation which centers on a married woman in 17th century Amsterdam who has an affair with the man painting her portrait, all during a time in which the tulip craze is at an all-time high. Dench will play the Abbess of St. Ursula while Morrison is Mattheus, a Bohemian artist with a drinking problem. [Variety]

* Zac Efron, still riding high on Neighbors' success, will hop on the wheels of steel for an untitled DJ film by Max Joseph. Joseph was a producer on the movie Catfish and host's the TV series version for MTV. The film, which is currently looking for "hot young actors and actresses" for other lead roles" (really?), will have Efron as a DJ trying to come up with his first hit track. It's being described as a coming-of-age story, penned by Joseph and Meaghan Oppenheimer. Filming begins next month and all I can ask for is that Efron doesn't make turntablists look bad. [TheWrap]

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Zach Galifianakis, Holliday Grainger, and Jack O'Connell Get 'Tulip Fever'

Zach Galifianakis probably isn't the first one we'd expect to see in a period film about a tulip craze, but that's exactly what's happening as he's joining Justin Chadwick's adaptation of Tulip Fever, which has been developing for a decade.

Alicia Vikander, Christoph Waltz, and Dane DeHaan are on board to star, and joining Galifianakis are rising stars Jack O'Connell (300: Rise of an Empire, Unbroken) and Holliday Grainger. Penned by Tom Stoppard, the 17th-century tale centers on an illicit love affair between a merchant's wife and a painter during a time when tulip mania was sweeping Amsterdam.

So a nice change of pace for Galifiankis, who will be seen next in Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu's comedy, Birdman. 

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Mark Strong Joins 'Grimsby'; Cara Delevingne Eyes 'Pan' and 'Tulip Fever'; 'Blood Father' Enlists Erin Moriarty

* Sacha Baron Cohen just gained a sibling, and it's none other than tough guy Mark Strong. Strong has joined Cohen in the spy comedy, Grimsby, directed by Louis Leterrier. Cohen co-writes and stars in the film as the bumbling football hooligan brother to a Black Ops agent played by Strong. [Deadline]

* Supermodel Cara Delevingne continues to build up her acting cred after appearing in Joe Wright's Anna Karenina. She's now eying two high-profile roles, including one in Wright's follow-up, Pan. She's landed a small role in the dark Peter Pan origin story, joining Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Amanda Seyfried, and Levi Miller.

Delevingne is also in talks to join Dane DeHaan and Alicia Vikander (also of Anna Karenina) in Tulip Fever, Justin Chadwick's long-developing adaptation of Deborah Moggach's period romance. The 17th century romance centers on an illicit love affair between a merchant's wife and a painter during a time when tulip mania was sweeping Amsterdam.

* Just a few days ago Mel Gibson came aboard a Taken-style action flick titled Blood Father, about an ex-con protecting his teenaged daughter from drug dealers trying to kill her. Now Erin Moriarty (The Kings of Summer, True Detective) has come aboard to play that daughter, and the plot has been expanded somewhat.  Gibson's character is described as a former member of the Hell's Angels and goes on the run with his daughter after she witnesses her boyfriend's murder. [The Tracking Board]

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Salma Hayek Leads 'The Septembers of Shiraz'; Christoph Waltz Joins 'Tulip Fever'

* With news emerging over the weekend that Salma Hayek's single-room action flick Everly has been picked up for U.S. distribution, the actress is jumping ahead into her next project. She will join the criminally underused Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) in The Septembers of Shiraz. Promisingly, the adaptation of Dalia Sofer's Iran-set novel will be directed by Wayne Blair (The Sapphires), with Gerard Butler producing. Taking place during the 1981 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the story centers on a Jewish family "as they try to come together and escape the deadly tyranny. Hayek will play the mother while Aghdashloo is the family’s housekeeper, whose son used to work for the gem dealer but is not part of the Revolutionary Guard." Salma Hayek playing a Jewish woman sounds a little sketchy, but we'll see how it all turns out.

* Never one to go too long without a new film under his belt, Christoph Waltz has agreed to join Alicia Vikander and Dane DeHaan in Tulip Fever, the 17th-century story about an illicit affair between a painter and the wife of a wealthy merchant during a time when tulipmania had struck Amsterdam.  Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) is directing based on Deborah Moggach's novel. Production should begin in April, marking the end of a long road which saw Jude Law and Matthias Schoenaerts circling roles before they both dropped out. [THR]

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Alicia Vikander to Star In 'Tulip Fever'; Matthias Schoenaerts Eyed for Role

In development for nearly a decade, the adaptation of Deborah Moggach's novel Tulip Fever has seen everyone from John Madden (Shakespeare In Love) to Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) circling it as a potential directing project, with Keira Knightley and Jude Law once set to star. But for various reasons, most fairly boring, nothing ever came about despite a script by Tom Stoppard  already in place. Now it appears the film is back on track, with some up 'n coming talent on board.

Anna Karenina star Alicia Vikander will star in the 17th century romance, which centers on the illicit affair between a painter and the wife of a wealthy merchant during a time when tulipmania had struck Amsterdam. So one can imagine all of the sexual metaphors that will be at play in a story about blooming and ripening flowers. Sought for the role of the lover is Rust and Bone star Matthias Schoenaerts, with Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) now behind the director's chair.

Considering the many times it looked like Tulip Fever had finally come together with nothing really happening, it's tough to have any confidence just yet. Production will have to wait until Schoenaerts finishes up with Animal Rescue, and possibly his second teaming with Noomi Rapace in Alive Alone. Vikander has The Man from UNCLE next on her list. [DailyMail]

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