The long in-development film Young Americans, now re-titled College Republicans, has recently lost its star Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) and replaced him with English up-and-comer George MacKay (Pride), according to TheWrap.
Written by Wes Jones as his first feature script, the movie is a biopic following true events in the 1970s when two politically-saavy young undergrads embark on a cross-country road trip and disassemble the American Dream one state at a time.
Daniel Radcliffe (Horns) is still set to star along with Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserables). DeHaan has been part of the project from the get-go, but felt he needed to drop out due to a packed schedule and the film’s inability to pick up production speed. He is currently set to begin filming Valerian and The City of a Thousand Planets with Cara Delevingne (Suicide Squad). DeHaan told TheWrap,
It’s a movie I’ve been really passionate about for a long time, and it looked like it was coming together so many times, but it’s a really difficult movie to find financing for, I think because of the subject matter.
Also, with a name change to College Republicans, the film may be even more polarizing at first glance. Plans for the movie are still going forward, however, with DeHaan and Radcliffe’s Kill Your Darlings director John Krokidas set to helm the project.
MacKay will likely be a welcome addition to the cast as he is coming into his own as an indie actor himself. He is best known for his roles in Defiance and last year’s sleeper-hit, Pride. He can also be seen in the young adult adaptation How I Live Now, in which he stars opposite Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn).
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