Milk's Got Co-Stars

Three rising stars have joined Sean Penn in Gus Van Sant's Milk, the upcoming Harvey Milk biopic that will start shooting next month on location in San Francisco.

Emile Hirsch, currently onscreen in Into the Wild (directed by Penn, "small world", Hollywood-style), will play Cleve Jones, an ally of Milk's who would go on to found the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Hirsch is fast becoming one to watch; next year, he will play the title character in the Wachowski brothers' Speed Racer (rumor has it that we'll get a trailer for that any day now). Scott Smith, Milk's lover and campaign manager, will be played by James Franco, best known as Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man movies, as well as his Golden Globe Award-winning performance as James Dean. As for the role of Dan White, the man who assassinated Milk, Josh Brolin will take on that challenge (Matt Damon was previously mentioned for the part). Brolin is currently experiencing a great year, with notable appearances in Grindhouse, In the Valley of Elah, American Gangster and No Country for Old Men. In fact, he and Hirsch may find themselves competing for various Best Actor roles in the coming months (more "small world", Hollywood-style).

In more Milk news, the production will be holding an open casting call in the Bay Area this weekend. See Towleroad for more details.

Links via HollywoodReporter.com and Towleroad.com.