Because a couch is a little beyond our budget, I bring you the casting futon! There have been a couple of casting announcements that I wanted to mention but neither of them had me particularly excited for a full length post so instead, you get one post with two tidbits.

The first and oldest of the bunch is news that Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley have both joined the cast of London Boulevard. This is William Monahan’s first foray behind the camera though he’s not exactly new to the business having written Kingdom of Heaven and adapted The Departed and Body of Lies.

This project has Farrell as a London criminal newly released from prison who becomes involved with a reclusive actress played by Knightley. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff but I like both actors so it’s safe to say I’m on board.

For seconds, there’s also news that Darren Aronofsky’s next project is a thriller titled Black Swan. It’s the story of a ballerina in competition with a rival dancer except the rival is actually a ghost (or maybe she’s just delusional?).

The film was originally set up at Universal but it’s now being shopped around to some of the specialty divisions and according to THR, there seems to be a lot of interest. This may have something to do with the fact that it’s Aranofsky (his recent success is sure to help) and the fact that Natalie Portman has signed onto the project.

This one’s a definite thumbs up in my books. I hope production kicks off soon.