Back in February, “The Incredible Hulk” and “Clash of the Titans” director Louis Leterrier came aboard Summit Entertainment‘s intriguing heist picture “Now You See Me.” Written by Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt, and produced by “Star Trek” and “Transformers” writing/producing powerhouse team Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the project has since assembled a star-studded ensemble which includes Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher, Melanie Laurent and Woody Harrelson.
Deadline reports that the film has now added a much-talked-about up-and-coming actor to the cast. 26-year old Dave Franco, younger brother of “127 Hours” star and resident Oscar host pothead James Franco, has now joined the film as a member of the Four Horsemen, the team of illusionists who cleverly pull off the bank heists in the flick. Following a team of FBI agents, “Now You See Me” will chronicle the pursuit of these Four Horsemen, who daringly pull off bank heists under the guise of a magic act. We’re guessing that following “Inception,” the idea of your standard bank heist film but with a twist has become appealing to studio heads everywhere. But this is a pretty interesting concept, and certainly the cast is pretty great.
Franco is currently shooting another film for Summit, “50/50” director Jonathan Levine‘s existential zombie flick “Warm Bodies,” so the actor is already pretty chummy with the studio. Franco, who also has the much-anticipated Jonah Hill comedy “21 Jump Street” in the can, has recently had some enjoyable small parts in films like “Greenberg” and the underrated “Fright Night” remake. While he isn’t particularly memorable in either, they do showcase his ability to hold his own against bigger stars with a subtle sense of humor. These two roles, in “Warm Bodies” and especially “Now You See Me” should allow the actor to grow in the shadow of other top talent, and hopefully help him avoid some of the early career missteps his brother made following the massive success of the “Spiderman” series (remember “Annapolis” or “Flyboys“?).
Dave Franco, who’s probably best known for stints on television shows like “Greek” and Funny or Die skits like “Go Fuck Yourself With Dave Franco,” will become increasingly more recognizable following the March 16th release of “21 Jump Street” so by the time “Now You See Me” rolls into theaters his profile will undoubtedly have grown.
