Cory Hardrict To Star In ‘Karen’ Drama; Mauricio Henao Joins ‘Panama’; Nolan River Cast In ‘Old’ – Film Casting Briefs

Cory Hardrict has joined Orange Is The New Black alum Taryn Manning in Karen, the indie suspense thriller from writer and director Coke Daniels. Manning, who is producing the indie, will play Karen White, who believes that races should stick to their “own kind” and carries this belief into her neighborhood. Hardrict will star as Malik, a community activist in Atlanta dedicated to his wife and fighting social injustices. When Malik and his wife, Assata, become Karen’s new neighbor, she makes it her personal mission to remove them from the neighborhood, by any means necessary. However, Assata and Malik don’t have time for this and aren’t going down without a fight.

Manning is producing the pic with Daniels and Craig Chapman. Burke Management Firm founders Vanzil Burke and Victor Burke will serve as executive producers.

Hardrict’s film credits include Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper and Gran Torino as well as Battle Los Angeles, Netflix’s Brotherly Love, and The Outpost, which he also executive produced. Up next, he appears in Sean McEwen’s crime drama, The Dougherty Gang. Hardrict is repped by Buchwald and attorney Karl Austen.

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Colombian actor Mauricio Henao has been cast in Panama, joining stars Cole Hauser and Mel Gibson. Directed by Mark Neveldine, the thriller follows James Becker (Hauser), an ex-Marine who is sent undercover by his former commander, Stark (Gibson), to execute a high-value arms deal with untrustworthy adversaries. Jordan Beckerman, Jordan Yale Levine, Michelle Chydzik Sowa, Michelle Reihel, Shaun Sanghani, and Frances Lausell are producing. Henao is known for telenovelas like Donde Esta Eliza, El Fantasma de Elena, and most recently Médicos.

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Newcomer Nolan River has landed a role in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming Universal thriller, Old. He joins previously announced cast members Gael Garcia Bernal, Rufus Sewell, Embeth Davidtz, Emun Elliott, Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, Vicky Krieps, Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Ken Leung. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Shyamalan is producing along with Ashwin Rajan for Blinding Edge Pictures and Marc Bienstock. Steven Schneider will exec produce. River is the son of Thomas Ian Nicholas, the actor who is best known for his role as Kevin Myers in the American Pie franchise. River is set to star alongside his dad in the Mickey Rourke led film Adverse, which will be released via Lionsgate.

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