Early Edition: Matthew McConaughey Gets Plum Role; Julianne Moore Joins 'What Maisie Knew'; More

The 64th Festival de Cannes and the TV upfronts (where the networks show off their wares to potential advertisers) is keeping Hollywood busy this week ... the industry movers and shakers are either out of town or in hiding, so things can be slow in these parts. Still, there's plenty of news from Cannes, as well as a smattering of home-grown deals to call to your attention.

Here's a prestige picture that may just giveMatthew McConaugheytherole of his career. According toDeadline,Content Film has acquired'The Dallas Buyers Club,'starringHilary Swankand McConaughey, about a Texas electrician named Ron Woodroof who contracted AIDS in 1986 and was given six months to live by his doctors. Since at that time the FDA hadn't approved AIDS treatments, Woodroof illegally smuggled medicine into the U.S. -- and lived another six years. And he made sure that other AIDS victims also got his drugs. McConaughey will play Woodroof. We're talking Oscar possibilities here.

Alexander Skarsgard,Julianne MooreandSteve Cooganwill star in'What Maisie Knew,'an adaptation of the Henry James novel brought up to date in contemporary New York. This is more Hollywood than Henry James: The comedy drama centers on Maisie, a 6-year-old girl enmeshed in the bitter divorce of her mother, a rock and roll icon, and her father, a charming but distracted art dealer, according toThe Hollywood Reporter(from Cannes). Moore stars as Maisie's mother, Coogan as her father and Skarsgard stars as Moore's new husband. The part of Maisie has yet to be cast for the film, which will begin shooting in New York in August.

Here's more literature-transformed-for-the-big-screen: Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's'The Great Gatsby'(in 3D) is picking up more steam with the announcement Wednesday that newcomerElizabeth Debickihas been cast in the role of Jordan Baker, the love interest of narrator Nick Carraway. Debicki joins Tobey Maguire as Carraway, Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy. {Deadline}

Sam Rockwell,Mickey RourkeandChristopher Walkenwill join Colin Farrell in'Seven Psychopaths,'a black comedy written and directed by Martin McDonagh, who helmed the delicious hit man thriller 'In Bruges.' According toVariety(from Cannes), the story centers on a screenwriter (Farrell) in need of inspiration for his script, titled 'Seven Psychopaths.' Two of his buddies (Rockwell and Walken) get him involved in dog kidnapping schemes, which gets them all in trouble when one of the dogs belongs to a gangster (Rourke).

Dennis Quaidis joining Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons in'The Words'a thriller which will be the directorial debut of 'TRON: Legacy' writers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal. Info on the film, produced by Benaroya Pictures, is sketchy: The story centers on a successful writer who discovers the steep price he has to pay when he steals another writer's work. {Variety}

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