Casting Net: 'Evil Dead' actress in 'Pompeii'; Harvey Keitel

• What’s worse? Being in Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupts, or getting possessed by demon spirits in the middle of the woods? Evil Dead’s Jessica Lucas will be able to tell us soon enough. She’s just been cast in Paul W.S. Anderson’s Pompeii with Emily Browning, Kit Harington, and Kiefer Sutherland, which began filming in Italy last month. Best known for her role in the TV series Cult, Lucas can be seen next in Are We Officially Dating? alongside Zac Efron and Miles Teller (Project X). [Deadline]

• Robert De Niro will take the ring once more, this time as trainer to Edgar Ramirez’s (Zero Dark Thirty) character in Jonathan Jakubowicz’s boxing drama Hands of Stone, about legendary Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran who famously beat Sugar Ray Leonard. De Niro will also be appearing in the upcoming Grudge Match where he’ll play a boxer who comes out of retirement to fight an old rival, played by Sylvester Stallone.It’s a formula. He’s not messing with it. [Deadline]

• Forest Whitaker has lined up a nice cast to join him in Rachid Bouchareb’s (Just Like a Woman) independent film Enemy Way, including Harvey Keitel, Brenda Blethyn, Ellen Burstyn, and Luis Guzman. Enemy Way tells the story of an ex-con (Forest Whitaker) who is trying to make a life for himself after 18 years in prison. A tall order for any ex-con, but Whitaker’s character William Garnett happens to also be a Muslim living in New Mexico. Keitel will play his parole officer. Sounds kind of like a border town version of Les Misérables! [Deadline]

• Welsh actor Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans) has signed on to star as one of the first villains of cinema in Universal’s horror film Dracula. Evans might not be a household name just yet, but he’s got a number of high-profile projects coming up, including Fast & Furious 6, and the next two films in the Hobbit trilogy where he’ll play the role of Bard the Bowman. [Variety]

• Danny Matheson apologists can rest easy. Graham Rogers (Revolution) has found a home in the Nick Jonas-led indie thriller Careful What You Wish For. Rogers will take on the role of Lucas’ (Jonas) best friend, who encourages his affair with a married woman (Isabel Lucas). [Variety]

PREVIOUSLY: ‘Divergent’ adds two more to cast

Follow @ldbahr

Read More:

Casting Net: Jessica Chastain, Bradley Cooper, Michael Pena

Casting Net: Benedict Cumberbatch, Omar Sy, Jacki Weaver

Casting Net: Brad Pitt, Zoe Saldana