Halle Brings the Payne to New Flick

Berry leads the day's notable castings, signing on to star as an international jewel thief in new heist flick

By Gina Serpe Feb 17, 2009 4:40 PMTags
Halle BerryFame

No Payne, no gain for Halle Berry.

The Oscar-winning thesp is bringing a little extra sparkle to the story of a jewel thief, signing on to star in Who Is Doris Payne.

According to Variety, the heist flick will center on the true-life tale of the international bauble bandit whose criminal acts spanned five decades.

No start date has yet been set for the flick.

Meanwhile, there's still no cure for the McPheever...

•  Brothers & Sisters star Dave Annable will join American Idol alum Katharine McPhee in Wedlocked. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the romantic comedy will center on a pet photographer who is forced into honeymooning with a mobster's daughter, who herself is seeking to gain American citizenship. Cameras roll in Hawaii next month.

•  Ellen Barkin, Famke Janssen and the César-nominated Marc-André Grondin are joining forces on Changeling The Chameleon. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the psychological thriller chronicles the reunion of a previously missing young man and his family, who grow suspicious over whether the man is actually who they think he is. The real-life drama is based on Frédéric Bourdin, who assumed 39 identities over his lifetime, three of them missing teens.

•  Keri Russell is set to star alongside leading men Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford in The Untitled Crowley Project. The film, based on a true story, centers on Aileen Crowley, a wife and mother who seeks to provide a normal home for her children, who both suffer from rare genetic disorders, while her husband and an unconventional scientist race to find a cure. Cameras roll April 6.

  Time is on Michael Vartan's side. The former Alias star is returning to the small screen, teaming up with Jada Pinkett Smith on the TNT series Time Heals. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Vartan replaces another actor in the series, playing the director of medicine at a hospital and love interest to Smith's nursing director.