If you haven’t been keeping up with your vaporous sci-fi films lately, Super 8 is the new film from JJ Abrams, another that is wrapped in a Cloverfield-esque veil of secrecy. Naturally there’s a viral campaign a goin‘, and there’s is the vague announcement teaser, but we’ve yet to find out much concrete info about the script, story, or characters, except that some kids accidentally capture footage of aliens on their 8mm camera, and the whole thing will be “Spielbergian”. A small chunk of concrete news has slipped out from the production via New York Magazine’s Vulture however, in that Kyle Chandler and Elle Fanning have been cast in unknown roles.
Chandler is a prominent cast-member on Friday Night Lights, and appeared in King Kong, The Kingdom, and a science-fiction film that should have stayed secret, 2008’s The Day The Earth Stood Still. Elle Fanning is the 12-year-old sister of Dakota Fanning (alumna of the Spielbergian-as-shit War of the Worlds… is there a secret family link?! Probably not.). Lest you think Elle is riding her sister’s coat-tails, note that she has been appearing in movies since she was 2 years old (I Am Sam) and has been in a steady stream of large-scale films ever since (Daddy Day Care, Babel, Deja Vu, Reservation Road, Benjamin Button) with her most recent performance, in Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, getting positive reviews. So yeah, this little girl was probably worth more than you and me at around age 5.
Vulture points to a Bloody Disgusting casting report from some months ago…
NATALIE: Female 13-14. A natural beauty – she is stunning, but not the “cheerleader” type. Strong and confident, but has an underlying sadness. Should have a Midwestern feel.
The mystery unravels!