Payne's 'Descendants' cast is growing

Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard and Robert Forster are joining George Clooney in Alexander Payne's next directorial effort "The Descendants," a drama based on the book by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Payne wrote it with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, and the project has just kicked off filming in Hawaii.

The plot follows Clooney as a husband and dad who attempts to work on his troubled relationship with this two daughters after his wife gets into a boating accident in Waikiki. Shailene Woodley, Mary Birdsong, Nick Krause and Amara Miller co-star, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Daily news dose: Virginia Madsen joins 'Invention;' Beau Bridges boards 'Columbus Circle'

Here is your dose of film news for July 7, 2009:

• Virginia Madsen is the latest to join Kevin Spacey, Craig Robinson, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville and Camilla Belle in Trent Cooper's upcoming comedy "Father of Invention." The film follows a stinking rich inventor (Spacey) who goes to jail after one of his creations goes wrong. Once he's released, he runs into several struggles making up time with his family. (Variety)

• Beau Bridges has signed on to star in George Gallo's upcoming thriller "Columbus Circle," which is already shooting. Selma Blair plays an heiress who hasn't left her Manhattan apartment in nearly 20 years. The only people she speaks to are her concierge (Kevin Pollak) and a family friend (Bridges). Things start to change for her when a detective investigates a homicide next door. (THR)

• Peter Krause has boarded Daniel Barnz's "Beastly," a reimagining of "Beauty and the Beast" from CBS Films. Krause (""Six Feet Under") is joining Mary-Kate Olsen, Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens. He plays the father of a rich teen who disses one of her classmates. (Variety)

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