'Beezus and Ramona' Casting News

Feb 9, 2009 - Popular teen actress Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) has landed one of the lead roles in the film version of Beverly Cleary's bestselling Ramona books, Beezus and Ramona*. Joey King (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) will co-star in the movie which is being produced by Fox 2000 Pictures and Walden Media. Aquamarine director Elizabeth Allen will helm the film, with Laurie Craig and Nick Pustay adapting the screenplay.

According to a press release issued by 20th Century Fox, Gomez will play Beezus, a character described as "the brilliant yet insecure older sister to King's Ramona, whose vivid imagination, boundless energy and accident-prone antics help her family face its biggest challenge."

Fox 2000 looked at hundreds of young girls before selecting King to play Ramona. King's previous credits include appearances on episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Jericho, and Entourage.

Beezus and Ramona is aiming for a March 19, 2010 release.

Source: Twentieth Century Fox

* - The film reverses the title to Ramona and Beezus.