Jesse Eisenberg Casting News Is Suddenly a Big Deal

%photo13% We've liked Jesse Eisenberg ever since we first saw him in the indie films "Roger Dodger" and "The Squid & the Whale," but we also recognize he's a bit of an acquired taste because, honestly, he sorta does the same thing in every film. Whether it's "Adventureland" or "Zombieland," he's always the smart, socially awkward kid with the sarcastic streak. What's funny is that that's also how you could describe his Mark Zuckerberg performance in "The Social Network," except now he's finally entered the moviegoing consciousness and snagged some awards for it. His stardom ascension is such that it's now big news when he signs on to a new role -- even if he's still playing the typical Eisenberg character.

Eisenberg just joined the cast of "Free Samples," an indie comedy-drama that's the feature directorial debut of editor Jay Gammill. He'll play the potential love interest of a woman (Jess Weixler) who ditches law school for a job on a food truck. Our assumption is that he will court her in an adorably low-key and nebbishy way.

The fact that the movie has already started shooting (and that Eisenberg's only playing a supporting role) suggests that the producer who confirmed the news to The Wrap mostly wanted to publicize the fact that he snagged the dude from "The Social Network" for his low-budget indie. As good an actor as Eisenberg is, his involvement in a film didn't used to warrant such a fuss -- or were you one of the three people who saw him in this year's "Holy Rollers" just because he was in it?

But even if low-budget indies aren't your thing, you haven't seen the last of Eisenberg: He'll be reuniting with his "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer for "30 Minutes or Less" in which he'll play a pizza deliveryman who's forced to rob a bank with a bomb strapped to his chest. If anything would make a guy socially awkward, that would be it.

Exclusive: Jesse Eisenberg's Next Project is Indie Comedy 'Free Samples' [The Wrap]