I have absolutely no idea why, but I'm kind of into Eddie Murphy's new family comedy called NowhereLand. I should be having flashbacks to the disappointing roles he's taken on over the last decade. I could go on and on about how much of a bummer it was that they could make Pirates of the Caribbean into a great series, and then flounder so pitifully with my favorite ride -- The Haunted Mansion. But forget Disney. NowhereLand is about a man named Evan who solves his work problems by exploring the fantasy world of his six-year-old daughter. It's the sort of flick that could be really good if it has some smarts, and I'm hoping that producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is right when he says this is a role Murphy hasn't played before. I think Eddie not becoming five million different characters would be a good first step. However, I'm probably putting too many positive expectations on this project.

But on to the new castmates that The Hollywood Reporter just announced. Murphy and Thomas Haden Church (who will play his ruthless co-worker) are being joined by Brown Sugar's Nicole Ari Parker, DeRay Davis from License to Wed and ol' Beverly Hills Cop alum Ronny Cox. Parker will play Evan's estranged wife, who can't understand his preoccupation with their daughter's imaginary world, Davis plays his best friend -- "a therapist who calls himself the Man Whisperer and believes that all Evan needs to overcome his troubles is a good cry," and finally Cox plays the boss of a capital fund group who thinks Evan is doing some insider trading, but doesn't care as long as it works. Now all we need is the young tyke and we'll be set.

Here's a few of today's casting bits:

• You might remember Nikki Reed. She's the one who co-starred and co-wrote Thirteen, a story loosely based on her life, with Catherine Hardwicke. After cleaning up her image on The OC, the actress has signed on to star in Jonah Salander's Privileged, which is about a high-school girl who is the object of affection of two different boys -- played by Adam Butcher and Julian Morris. I guess the girl is ready to leave behind her troubled, 13 ways for double boy trouble.
• DeRay Davis, who has been in some stellar, comedic gems like Johnson Family Vacation, Scary Movie 4 and the recent Code Name: The Cleaner, has now signed on to the Will double-feature (Ferrell and Arnett) White Men Can't Jump 2. Sorry -- I mean Semi-Pro, which is set to start filming this month. It's hard to keep the name straight since the cast also features Woody Harrelson and Rob Corddry. In the Kent Alterman feature, Davis will play Bee Bee Ellis, a showboating basketball player.
• Jonathan Sadowski, of last year's She's the Man, has just nabbed himself a part in Bruce Willis' upcoming Die Hard sequel, Live Free or Die Hard, which is currently filming in Los Angeles. Sadowski will play a younger hacker who is at odd with John McClane. Perhaps he will be one of Timothy OIyphant's evil henchman? If there gets to be a huge melange of hackers in the film, they best be shouting: "Hack the planet!!!" Or, at the very least, rollerblading all over the place while wearing tacky clothing.