Casting Net: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mel Gibson, more

* Kirsten Dunst has been acting for most of her life, and recently it seems she's turning to more director-driven projects. These have seen varying degrees of critical and box office success, including Lars Von Trier's Melancholia and Walter Salles' On The Road, as well as the occasional raunchy comedy (Bachelorette) and cameo role (Anchorman: The Legend Continues). Now, Dunst is set to join director Jeff Nichols (Mud), as he re-teams with his Take Shelter star Michael Shannon in Midnight Special, about a father and son on the run. Details are scarce, but the report says that along the way, they discover that the 8-year-old son has some kind of special powers. Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby) also stars. [Deadline]

* Dunst's Melancholia sister Charlotte Gainsbourg has boarded the cast of director Wim Wenders' (Paris, Texas) 3-D project Everything Will Be Fine, starring James Franco as a writer who is responsible for the death of a 12-year-old. Canadian actress Marie-Josée Croze (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) has also joined the project, which is currently underway in Montreal. We may not see the final product for some time, though. The story is meant to follow Franco's character for 12 years, and Wenders reportedly plans to take a break and then pick up shooting again in the winter of 2014. [THR]

* The Expendables 3 is certainly aiming for an expansive cast. Antonio Banderas and Mel Gibson may be joining the recently announced addition of Harrison Ford in the macho franchise, initially according to some Twitter hints from Sylvester Stallone, who co-wrote and will star in the film. Glen Powell, who had a bit part in The Dark Knight Rises, has also joined the cast. [Variety; THR]

* Anton Yelchin, perhaps best known for playing Chekov in the latest Star Trek films, and Dakota Johnson, who starred in the cancelled sitcom Ben and Kate, have joined the cast of director Michael Almereyda's Cymbeline, a modern-day update on Shakespeare's tale. Yelchin will play Cloten and Johnson will play the part of Imogen.

* Ray Liotta (Killing Them Softly) and Linda Emond (Julie & Julia) will star alongside Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy) in Matthew Michael Carnahan's (screenwriter on World War Z) directorial debut, Violent Talent, a crime flick about three childhood friends from the South Side of Chicago. [Deadline]

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