Casting News: Robert Downey Jr., Joseph Gordon-Levitt among those either in or out of current and future productions
Below are brief casting news about five current and (if all goes as planned) future productions. Names include Robert Downey Jr., Joseph Gordon Levitt, William Forsythe, and Josh Charles.
William Forsythe in Raging Bull 2
As per online sources, William Forsythe is to have the leading role of aging boxer Jake LaMotta. Martin Guigui (My X-Girlfriend’s Wedding Reception) is to direct. The adolescent Jake LaMotta hasn’t been cast yet.
Coincidentally, Forsythe had a supporting role in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1984), in which De Niro was one of the leads. Curiously, Forsythe, now 56, was cast as Al Capone in a 1990s television reboot of The Untouchables; De Niro played Capone in Brian De Palma’s 1987 movie starring Kevin Costner. Last year, Forsythe was seen in several episodes of Boardwalk Empire.
Raging Bull was nominated for a eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (its screenplay was bypassed). It topped two categories: Best Actor (Robert De Niro) and Best Editing (frequent Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker).
Robert Downey Jr. in The Judge
The Judge is reportedly to star Robert Downey Jr., who will also produce alongside Susan Downey and director David Dobkin. Based on a screen story by Nick Schenk (Gran Torino), The Judge follows a lawyer who learns that his estranged father, a judge suffering from Alzheimer’s, may have committed a murder. Bill Dubuque is to work on the screenplay.
When exactly The Judge should start filming (if ever?) remains unclear. Downey Jr. has Iron Man 3 and Dubuque will next work on The Headhunter’s Calling and The Accountant. Dobkin, for his part, has his Arthur & Lancelot to work on.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt out of Django Unchained
Due to schedule conflicts, Joseph Gordon-Levitt will no longer be featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Gordon-Levitt will shortly begin working on his directorial debut, unofficially titled Don Jon’s Addiction and costarring Scarlett Johansson.
This year, Levitt will be seen in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, David Koepp’s Premium Rush, Rian Johnson’s Looper, and Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.
Amy Brenneman, Jess Weixler in The Look of Love
Amy Brenneman and Jess Weixler have joined Annette Bening, Robin Williams, and Ed Harris in The Look of Love. In the film, which seems to have elements found in titles as disparate as Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and John Carpenter’s Starman, a widow meets man who is carbon copy of her dead husband. She falls for the new man.
Filming on The Look of Love is set to begin in less than week. Arie Posin directs from a screenplay co-written with Matthew McDuffie.
The source for both casting news is Deadline.com: here and here.
Josh Charles, Kathryn Han in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Two more names have been added to the cast of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Josh Charles and Kathryn Hahn, who will be joining actor-director Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, and veteran Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine (Terms of Endearment, 1983) in the 20th Century Fox production. Charles is slated to play Wiig’s ex-husband; Hahn will be Stiller’s sister.
Based on a story by James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was first transferred to the big screen in 1947. Directed by Norman Z. McLeod for producer Samuel Goldwyn, the color comedy starred Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo, with Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter, and Ann Rutherford in supporting roles.
notes
Josh Charles and Kathryn Hahn casting via Deadline.com.
*last modified in January 2026.