In case you didn’t know by now, the J.J. Abrams-Steven Spielberg sci-fi collaboration called Super 8 hits theaters at midnight. Though the movie lacks a big name star (settle down Kyle Chandler/Noah Emmerich fans) it does feature a cast of fresh young actors. This week’s The Five becomes The Six as we take a look at the kids of Super 8.
Elle Fanning – The younger sister of Dakota Fanning, Elle, who’s only 13, has quite an impressive resume. She broke into Hollywood at the age of 2, playing the younger version of her sister in I Am Sam. Her first movie sans Dakota was the 2003 Eddie Murphy comedy Daddy Day Care. In Super 8, Fanning plays Alice, who gets asked to star in a movie that some neighborhood boys are shooting during the summer. After the much-hyped trail derailment, she finds Joel Courtney’s Joe Lamb and the two try to figure things out all while falling in love.
Joel Courtney – Super 8 marks the acting debut for Courtney, who stars as Joe Lamb, one of the group of five boys whose Super 8 film catches a massive train derailment and the mysteries within. Joe is a bit of a follower in the beginning, but true to most Spielberg-produced movies, he finds his voice and becomes a leader. Joe also has a thing for Elle Fanning’s Alice and the impending alien wackiness brings the two together to figure things out. Well, as best as possible within a J.J. Abrams universe, anyway.
Zach Mills – Another young showbiz veteran, Mills has been acting since he was 9. His other movie credits include Changeling, Hollywoodland and Kit Kittredge, to go along with numerous television gigs. In Super 8, Mills plays Preston, a smart kid who likes to spout off various facts to his buddies.
Ryan Lee – Lee’s break came, coincidentally enough, in a 2006 episode of Friday Night Lights, which starred cast mate Kyle Chandler. Since then, Lee has starred in a slew of short films as well as an episode of Breaking Bad. In Super 8, he plays Cary, a kid who’s fond of explosives and a bit of a pyromaniac.
Riley Griffiths – Like Joel Courtney, Griffiths makes his acting debut as Charles, the bossy one of the group and director of the Super 8 film which eventually films train chaos. We also learned during our Super 8 Cast Interviews that Griffiths had a bit of a crush on Elle during filming.
Gabriel Basso – OK, we’re going to add one more to the bunch. Basso stars as Martin, who is sort of the dumb one of the bunch. When he’s not helping his friends figure out what’s kidnapping all the dogs in his small town, he’s also starring on cable-TV’s The Big C as Adam Jamison.
So there you have it. Are you excited to check out this movie and if so, how soon will you be seeing it?
