Casting Chronicles: Freida Pinto joins ‘Apes,’ Penn back as ‘Kumar’

We’ve already told you that you can expect James Franco, he of the ridiculously long Hollywood resume, to star in a prequel to “Planet of the Apes,” and this week we can bring news that “Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto is joining him.

Pinto will play a primatologist named Caroline in the forthcoming 20^th Century Fox film, titled “Rise of the Apes,” and John Lithgow has also signed on to play Franco’s father.

Kal Penn, on the other hand, has ditched his White House duties, reportedly so he could get back into his Kumar character for another “Harold and Kumar” film. According to the L.A. Times, this one could be holiday-themed.

Seeing that "Avatar" still has the power to completely dominate an awards show, it's no surprise that studios are poking around for another sci-fi moneymaker. Fox is angling to snag an original script called "Ion," which has "Dear John" (and uh, "Step Up") star Channing Tatum attached to play the lead.

The plot tells the story of a man who travels to different Earths in search of his reincarnated lover. Not exactly "Avatar," but it does have that sci-fi romance twist.