CASTING NEWS: Sofia Vergara, Reese Witherspoon, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence, Mia Wasikowska and More

Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line") and Sofia Vergara ("Modern Family") will team up for the comedy "Don't Mess with Texas". The two will star as a cop and a prisoner on the run in Texas as they're being pursued by corrupt cops. The movie's script, written by John Quaintance and David Feeney, was acquired by Universal after a heated bidding war, which means the studio really thinks they can hit the jackpot with this movie. Quaintance and Feeney have previously written the script for the Fox sitcom "Ben and Kate". Production is set to begin in March 2014.

Javier Bardem ("Skyfall") has signed on for two new movies. He will star in J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year" which begins filming this fall, and in Pierre Morel's "The Gunman", based on Jean-Patrick Manchette's novel "The Prone Gunman", which also stars Sean Penn. In the first film Bardem will star as an ambitious business tycoon who goes to extreme lengths to control his heating oil empire, and in the latter he will play a hired killer seeking revenge after being betrayed by the secret organization he works for.

Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook") will produce and star in "Rules of Inheritance" which is based on the memoir of Claire Bidwell Smith. The film will be directed by Susanne Bier ("In a Better World") and the script is being written by Abi Morgan ("Shame"). Here is a synopsis of the memoir "The Rules of Inheritance" :

"In this astonishing debut, Claire Bidwell Smith, an only child, is just fourteen years old when both of her charismatic parents are diagnosed with cancer. What follows is a coming-of-age story that is both heartbreaking and exhilarating. As Claire hurtles towards loss she throws herself at anything she thinks might help her cope with the weight of this harsh reality: boys, alcohol, traveling, and the anonymity of cities like New York and Los Angeles. By the time she is twenty-five years old they are both gone and Claire is very much alone in the world.

Claire’s story is less of a tragic tale and more of a remarkable lesson on how to overcome some of life’s greatest hardships. Written with suspense and style, and bursting with love and adventure, The Rules of Inheritance vividly captures the deep grief and surprising light of a young woman forging ahead on a journey of loss that humbled, strengthened, and ultimately healed her."

Tom Hardy ("The Dark Knight Rises") has been confirmed as the lead actor in Takashi Miike's English-language debut "The Outsider", which is "set in post-World War II Japan, chronicling the life of a former American G.I. who becomes part of the Japanese Yakuza." The film will be produced by Joel Silver and the script is written by Andrew Baldwin.

Mia Wasikowska ("Stoker") is in talks to replace Emma Stone ("The Amazing Spider-Man") in Guillermo del Toro’s haunted house story "Crimson Peak". Stone left the project because of scheduling issues. The film also stars Jessica Chastain, Benedict Cumberbatch and Charlie Hunnam. Wasikowska will play "a young author named Edith Cushing who discovers that her charming new husband is not who he appears to be.".

Keira Knightley is set to star in the indie drama "The Imitation Game" which tells the story of British mathematician and cryptographer Alan Turing, who will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch ("Star Trek Into Darkness"), and will specifically focus on Turing's breakthrough in cracking the German Enigma code during World War II, his prosecution by his own government for being a homosexual and his resulting suicide. Knightley will play "a woman from a very conservative background who not only forms a complicated relationship with Turing but is there for him until the end". The film is directed by Morten Tyldum and is based on the book "Alan Turing: The Enigma".

Kristen Stewart is returning from her break after finishing the "Twilight" movie and has signed on for a couple of indie flicks which will begin filming this summer. The first is a political drama titled "Camp X-Ray" in which Stewart plays "a young soldier who joins the military in order to escape small town life, only to discover that she is assigned to Guantanomo Bay where strikes up a friendship with a young prisoner and suffers hatred and abuse from the Muslim men in her charge". The second project she signed on for is director Oliver Assayas' drama "Sils Maria" which "explores middle age and that introspective period where one questions how they’ve spent their life so far and what they’ve accomplished". The film also stars Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Daniel Bruhl. Stewart replaced Mia Wasikowska for this film.

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