Casting Net: Paul Wesley to star in and produce 'Convergence'

• The Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley will star in Convergence, a vehicle for him to star in and produce. Little is known about the plot at this time, but the film is said to follow a group of underground biotech engineers who experiment with a new technology that exceeds their expectations. Jeff Richard wrote the script. Filming is planned for next spring in Shanghai and Atlanta. [Deadline]

• Sam Huntington, of Being Human fame, has been cast as the lead in Finding Sofia. Nico Casavecchia is directing the indie comedy, which follows Huntington as a young filmmaker who buys a ticket to Buenos Aires on a whim to visit a girl he met online named Sofia (Andrea Carballo). Upon his arrival, he discovers Sofia lives with her boyfriend and his assistant. Principal photography starts Monday in Argentina. [Variety]

• Shailene Woodley is up for a role in writer-director Oliver Stone’s untitled Edward Snowden project. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as the NSA contractor who leaked classified documents, with Woodley eyeing the role of his girlfriend, Lindsay Mills. The film is based on two books: Time of the Octopus by Snowden’s Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, and The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man by journalist Luke Harding. [The Wrap]

• Jude Law is in talks to play the villain in Guy Ritchie’s Knights of the Round Table. The pair previously worked together in the Sherlock Holmes franchise. Charlie Hunnam stars as Arthur and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as Guinevere. Joby Harold penned the script, and will produce with Ritchie. The story is unknown at this time. The film is scheduled for a July 22, 2016 release. [Variety]

• Fury’s Jon Bernthal is in talks for The Accountant. The thriller, from Gavin O’Connor, stars Ben Affleck as an accountant by day and assassin by night. J.K. Simmons and Anna Kendrick are also in negotiations for the film. Details about Bernthal’s potential role are unknown at this time. Bill Dubuque wrote the script for the film, which is scheduled to begin production in January. [The Wrap]

• Richard Gere has claimed the lead in Oppenheimer Strategies from writer-director Joseph Cedar. The story follows a small-time operator, Norman Oppenheimer, who befriends a down-on-his-luck politician. Fast-forward three years: the politician has become a world leader, and Norman’s life has drastically changed in both good and bad ways. Shooting kicks off January 12 in New York. [Deadline]

• Christine Lahti has signed on for The Steps. Andrew Currie is directing and producing the indie drama, which stars James Brolin and Jason Ritter. The film follows a son, Jeff (Ritter), who spends the weekend at his father’s lake house where he meets his new wife (Lahti) and family. Robyn Harding wrote the script. [Deadline]

• Cory Hardrict, Jesse Metcalfe, Margot Bingham, Zulay Henao, Rob Riley, Mo McRae, Hill Harper, and Lala Anthony have been in cast in Destined. Qasim “Q” Basir is directing the film, which follows Rasheed Smith down two different life paths: In one, he goes to prison and becomes the leader of a criminal empire; the other shows him as an ambitious college graduate, working his way up at an architectural firm. The film is currently shooting in Detroit. [Deadline]

• Olivia Cooke, known for Bates Motel and Ouija, is eyeing a central role in director Timur Bekmambetov’s Ben-Hur. The film stars Jack Huston as the titular Jewish prince who is betrayed by his friend, Messala (Toby Kebbell), and subsequently forced into slavery. Cooke is up for the role of Ben-Hur’s sister, Tirzah. Ayelet Zurer, Morgan Freeman, and Pedro Pascal also star. Keith Clarke and John Ridley wrote the script, which was adapted from Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel; the novel was first brought to the screen in the 1959 Charlton Heston-starring feature. Production kicks off early next year in Europe. The film is scheduled for a February 2016 release. [The Wrap]