Casting Net: Keira Knightley, Elizabeth Banks and more

• Keira Knightley (Anna Karenina) is attached to produce and star in an adaptation of Suzanne Rindell’s The Other Typist for Fox Searchlight. Set in 1923, the story follows Rose, a typist for the New York City Police Department. She’s old-fashioned and set in her ways till she befriends the new woman in the office, Odalie, who is glamorous and modern and loves to have fun at speakeasies. But Rose gets a little obsessed, hence the comparisons to The Talented Mr. Ripley. There’s no director attached yet. Knightley will be appearing next alongside Chris Pine in Kenneth Branagh’s Jack Ryan (in theaters December 25), and with Mark Ruffalo and Adam Levine in Can a Song Save Your Life. [THR]

• Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games) has joined the cast of Love & Mercy, a biopic about The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. She’ll play the role of his eventual wife, Melinda. John Cusack, Paul Dano, and Paul Giamatti also star in the film, which will be directed by Bill Pohlad (who served as an executive producer on Brokeback Mountain). Dano and Cusack will both play Wilson at different stages of his life. Banks has also signed on to the independent film Little Accidents, which premiered as a short at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Sara Colangelo, who was responsible for the short, will write and direct the feature about a mining town reeling from the accidental deaths of 12 men. Boyd Holbrook (Behind the Candelabra) also stars. [THR]

• In exciting and somewhat unexpected Veronica Mars news, Martin Starr has joined the cast to play Lou “Cobb” Cobbler, described as “another 09’er returning for the reunion.” Though Starr never appeared in the series, he did work with Rob Thomas in Party Down. In the Kickstarter update, Thomas wrote that “Martin sent me a video a few nights ago, claiming that it was Kristen’s idea to cast him.” Party Down alum Ken Marino will also be returning to play Neptune’s other private eye, Vinnie Van Lowe.

• Director Joe Carnahan has added David Hasselhoff (Click), Ray Liotta (Killing Them Softly), and Shaun Toub (Iron Man 3) to his action comedy Stretch. [The Wrap]

• Another Downton Abbey alum is set to join Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella. Sophie McShera, who plays Daisy, has officially signed on to play one of the evil stepsisters. [Deadline]

• Rapper Meek Mill will star in a Philadelphia-set crime film based on his song “The Tony Story.” Cess Silvera (Shottas, G.E.D.) is set to direct. [Deadline]

• Maika Monroe (At Any Price) has been cast to star opposite Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) in Adam Wingard’s The Guest. She’ll also be appearing in Jason Reitman’s Labor Day (in theaters January 31, 2014). [The Wrap]

Follow Lindsey on Twitter: @ldbahr.

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