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New Line Cinema has set Diego Gonzalez Boneta to play the lead in Rock of Ages, the movie version of the Broadway musical.
He’ll play Drew Boley, a 22-year old who moves to Los Angeles with dreams of making it in the music industry. He works as a bus boy in the rock club The Bourbon Room. Word that he was director Adam Shankman’s choice circulated last week, but New Line just approved him today.
He stars alongside Julianne Hough, with a supporting cast that includes Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand. Amy Adams is being courted to play a journalist who falls into a bedroom romp with the rock star Stacee Jaxx (Cruise). Boley, a Latin American singing star, gets to belt out the Foreigner song Waiting For A Girl Like You, the Twisted Sister anthem I Wanna Rock, and he duets with Hough on the Journey hit Don’t Stop Believin.’ He was submitted by Gersh. Hundreds tested for the role.
“On top of his completely un-self conscious charm, he’s a movie star the same was as I felt when I auditioned Zac Efron, Channing Tatum and Liam Hemsworth,” Shankman told Deadline. “It comes down to being able to identity the ‘it’ factor, and Jen and I have been lucky enough to do it several times. He has it and is every inch a movie star.” Shankman was talking about his sister Jennifer Gibgot, his Offspring Entertainment partner, who’s producing.
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Gorgeous AND talented.
If this is a hit, I hope Warners will finally, FINALLY make “Krater”. It’s such a better movie.
She doesn’t know who this guy is, but my Grnadmother is still super duper excited for this talkie!
He looks like a young Matt Damon.
Constantine Mar-what’s-his-name has got to be pissed that he’s kept the flame alive for this show with constant touring, but oh, well. I’d imagine Shankman gave him a shot, no?
But this guy is not rock and roll. Odd how they told the world they wanted to cast someone who fit the rocker bill but hired a pretty boy actor from Pretty Little Liars and 90210. Too bad. This film just went from what could have been a decent rock film to trawling for Twilight.
Don’t judge people based on their past credits. Hilary Swank is an Oscar winner and she was a series regular on 90210 for one season.
But did you see him on Pretty Little Liars and 90210? The dude can sing and he’s dreamy. I’m a 34 year old who hasn’t seen Twilight, but enjoys teen TV fluff, and I thought Boneta stood out as someone to watch on both of those shows.
If you’ve seen the musical and know the story, the role is a street guy rock and roll type. The studio and Shankman made a big deal when casting this movie that that is what they were looking for. I’m sure the kid can act and sing pop music but being believable as a rock and roll singer/guitarist is another thing. It’s a credibility thing. That was why New Line was looking for an unknown musician. Since the buzz on this guy started before the open call last week, they obviously changed direction.
No offense to any actor or Hillary Swank or 90210 but if we don’t judge them off their past credits or people on their past actions, what do we judge them on…?
Maybe not judge them period and leave the casting to professionals and trust the instincts of people putting the movie together. Unless you’re a billionaire trust fund baby actor, you don’t pass up opportunities when you’re starting out like 90210 or Pretty Little Liars, you take it and make the best of it. U act your pretty little head off on them and get training then when you become a Ryan Gosling or whoever u can pick and choose roles that people like CC can judge u on. Some of you are so predictable and boring, like wtf stop hating.
Not once did I hate on anyone.
Read what I wrote.
And thank you for proving my point, you judge on people’s past (as you did with my comment) just like everyone else judges. I didn’t disparage this actor, or the shows. I went off of the casting agents description for the open call; plain and simple: a rocker musician. That’s what they cast a net for. If you’d seen the stage show you would understand what i mean and what they initially said they wanted.
Can’t wait not to see this.
Shankman’s list of ‘Movie Stars’ can’t open a picture. This is starting to look like a mash-up of ‘Dreamgirls’ and ‘Spinal Tap’. I’m not sure anyone has bothered to define ‘Rock’s target audience.
Isn’t that usually the case with these musicals?
Top three billed:
Chicago — Renee Zellweger, Catherine Seta-Jones, Richard Gere
Dreamgirls — Jamie Foxx, Beyonce, Eddie Murphy
Hairspray — John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
These are all very famous actors, many of whom have definitely been power players in the past, but by the time their musicals came out, they weren’t exactly setting the box office on fire.
These large casts try to use the sum of their parts to create something more than any one actor can provide.
The sum of Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, and Amy Adams will create a marquis to rival any of those other musicals.
Boylesque!
Really? Adam and his sister have been “lucky enough to identify the ‘it’ factor”? What – you auditioned them with no casting director handpicking choices, advising you, pushing you in the right direction?? EVERYONE can see “it” when an actor starts to hit their groove, but casting directors along with the agents and managers who groom talent, noticed Diego, Zak, Channing & Liam, etc., way before they hit their “it”. Years of telling producers “trust me, this kid’s going to be a star,” and when it’s finally obvious to the whole world, producers just love to say “I knew it the minute I saw him…” Did it occur to you that your casting directors are bringing you the very next level of break-out talent? You didn’t find the diamond in a mine, you were standing in a jewelry store.
But, we get it – you’re magic. We’re so “lucky” to have you.
Now I get it why the the best of the 80s bands have denied the use of their material to the producers of the musical “Rock of Ages”. This movie is gonna be awful.
Diego was awesome in Mean Girls 2. This is a great role for him!
Boneta is an established musician in Mexico. This was actually surprisingly inspired casting. He’s going to draw in a whole new crowd.
I hope this is a joke. First, he can’t act worth anything. Second, He can’t sing.
As a production manager I worked on two telenovelas with him here in Mexico. He’s really talented, and a great person to work with.
Please rush this into production, my Grandma is getting impatient!
this is a medium profile pop singer in Mexico, he is with one of the most powerful TV enterprises in latin america. i´m sure they´re putting in a high budget so this kid could stick into everything in order to make him a ¨star¨. I mean come on he is only 19 years old and playing a caracter of 22, when has ever hollywood do that? if much they put older actors play young characters.and Diego has a very thick spanish accent, maybe that could help him play latino roles
U are obviously crazy in the head and know NOTHING about Diego so suck it
I think this movie is gonna be a hit. I mean u just gotta love the cast (Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige, Tom Cruise,Alec Baldwin etc). As for diego, he’s awesome & people should stop hating. *End of story*