Gaby Hoffmann, ‘Breaking Bad’s’ Kevin Rankin Join Reese Witherspoon in ‘Wild’
Former child star Gaby Hoffmann and Breaking Bad’s Kevin Rankin have joined the cast of Fox Searchlight’s Reese Witherspoon starrer Wild, which began shooting this week.
Hoffmann is likely best-known for her roles in Now and Then and Sleepless in Seattle. Rankin most recently had a recurring role in the final episodes of Breaking Bad and prior to that had recurring roles in Justified and Friday Night Lights, where he played Jason Street’s wheelchair-bound friend Herc. He also recently had roles in White House Down and the upcoming Dallas Buyers Club, also helmed by Wild director Jean-Marc Vallee.
The Lone Ranger castmember W. Earl Brown and Michiel Huisman, who had parts in World War Z and HBO’s Treme, have also joined the cast, which The Hollywood Reporter previously revealed includes The Newsroom’s Thomas Sadowski, Lee Daniels’ The Butler’s Mo McRae and Cougar Town’s Brian Van Holt.
The film was adapted by Nick Hornby from Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling book.
Witherspoon is producing the film through her Pacific Standard banner. The film is also being produced by River Road Entertainment’s Bill Pohlad, who recently worked on Fox Searchlight’s Oscar hopeful 12 Years a Slave.
The film is being executive produced by Hornby, Vallee’s producing partner Nathan Ross and Bergen Swanson, who previously worked on The Kids Are Alright.
The movie, which will be shot in Oregon and California, follows Strayed’s more-than-1,000-mile hike along the Pacific Coast Trail, which she embarks on following the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother.
Fox Searchlight president of production Claudia Lewis, senior vp production David Greenbaum and director of production DanTran Nguyen will oversee the project.
– THR
‘Butler’ Actor Joins Reese Witherspoon in ‘Wild’
Mo McRae, last seen in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, has joined the cast of Wild, Fox Searchlight’s Reese Witherspoon drama being directed by Jean-Marc Vallee.
Wild centers on a young woman, who, to absolve herself of the sins of her tragic life and seek a new start, hikes a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. It is based on the book Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, written by Cheryl Strayed and published by Knopf on March 20, 2012.
The film has been described tonally to be in the vein of Into the Wild, the Sean Penn-directed drama that starred Emile Hirsch.
McRae will play a journalist for the Hobo Times who encounters Witherspoon’s character as she hitches a ride on a mountain road.
The movie is currently shooting.
McRae is currently onscreen in Butler, where he plays Black Panthers leader Eldridge Huggins. The film has grossed more than $108 million to date.
The actor, who is repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment, also recently appeared on Showtime’s acclaimed show Ray Donovan.
– THR