exclusive

Kyle Chandler and Elle Fanning Cast in Super 8

The cloak of secrecy surrounding the J.J. Abrams–Steven Spielberg collaboration is starting to be lifted, ever so slightly: Vulture has exclusively learned the names of the first two actors cast in Super 8 — and one of them is going to send fans of Friday Night Lights into a tizzy. Kyle Chandler, who stars as Coach Taylor on the soon-to-end DirecTV/NBC football drama, has landed a role in the film, a source with knowledge of the matter tells us. Also cast, per sources: 12-year-old Elle Fanning (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), sister of Dakota. So what will they be playing? Don’t be greedy! Except for a brief trailer which debuted last May, as well as a summer 2011 release date, there’s been hardly any official word about Super 8 from Bad Robot and Paramount at all, just rumors that it’s about three siblings who discover footage of an alien in some Super 8 footage they shot. In May, one Internet report claimed to have found a casting notice looking for a “Female 13-14. A natural beauty — she is stunning, but not the ‘cheerleader’ type. Strong and confident, but has an underlying sadness. Should have a Midwestern feel.” Wait, could that be Kyle Chandler’s role?

Kyle Chandler and Elle Fanning Cast in Super 8