MTV Movies Blog › Xavier Samuel

Move over Liam Neeson, because Hugh Jackman is slated to be the next man to bring Jean Valjean to the big screen.

Universal and "The King's Speech" director Tom Hooper are planning on making a musical adaptation of "Les Miserables," and they're squared away on wanting Jackman to play Prisoner 24601. Deadline also reports that Paul Bettany is the top choice to play Javert, the police officer desperate to capture Jean Valjean.

Check out the rest of today's casting news past the jump!

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Tags Drift, hugh jackman, jason reitman, Jon Hamm, Josh Brolin, Kate Winslet, Labor Day, Les Miserables, man of steel, Melissa McCarthy, paul bettany, paul feig, Russell Crowe, sam worthington, tom hooper, Xavier Samuel

With actors like Andrew Garfield, Chloe Moretz and Olivia Wilde such a large part of our movie culture at this point in 2011, it's hard to believe that they were technically new mainstream stars at this time last year.

But that's why the MTV Movie Awards are here to remind you that we have plenty to look forward to in these bright breakout stars' careers. Read on for a full list of the Best Breakout Stars nominees, then cast your vote for the winner today!

Olivia Wilde, "Tron: Legacy"
She might not be new to our hearts thanks to her recurring role on "House," but Wilde's blockbuster debut certainly got us piqued for what her big screen future holds. And with "Cowboys & Aliens" just around the corner, our hopes are pretty high.

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Tags Andrew Garfield, chloe moretz, Hailee Steinfeld, Jay Chou, olivia wilde, Xavier Samuel

I have to admit, the results of this poll surprise me a bit. Fandango polled more than 1,700 "Eclipse" ticket shoppers to see who they consider the most exciting new addition to the cast. BooBoo Stewart, who plays 15-year-old Quileute werewolf Seth Clearwater, earned himself 33% of the votes, the highest by a fairly wide margin. Coming in at #2 with 19% of the vote is Xavier Samuel, who plays doomed Victoria henchman Riley. Frankly, I would have pegged Samuel for #1. But what do I know?

Here are the results of the poll so you can see the full spread:

- Seth Clearwater (BooBoo Stewart) 33%
- Riley (Xavier Samuel) 19%
- Bree (Jodelle Ferland) 16%
- Quil Ateara (Tyler Housman) 10%
- Lucy (Kirsten Prout) 8%
- Leah Clearwater (Julia Jones) 8%
- Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) 4%
- Royce King II, Rosalie’s fiance (Jack Huston) 3%

Would any of you Twilighters care to venture a guess why BooBoo would come out on top? Does Seth Clearwater factor very heavily into the book? He certainly has more than one scene in the movie, but it's not a huge role. Read more...

Tags booboo stewart, breaking dawn, eclipse, Twilight, Xavier Samuel

"Eclipse" had its Los Angeles premiere last night and the stars came out. So that happened. MTV got to chat with franchise newcomer Xavier Samuel about his upcoming debut in the popular series, and the young Australian actor talked a little bit about one of his more unlikely influences.

"You're really good at walking out of water, by the way," MTV's Josh Horowitz commented, referring to a moment in one of the trailers when Samuel -- you guessed it -- slowly surfaces, his head rising up out of the water a la "Apocalypse Now." Only it's not the classic Vietnam film that the actor credits as his inspiration. He looked to a more recent example, a sexier example. John McNaughton's "Wild Things." Read more...

Tags eclipse, Video, Xavier Samuel

Whether you like it or not, "Twilight" is undeniably a cultural phenomenon. Few entertainment franchises in history have managed to galvanize such a large group of fans, something which Stephenie Meyer's vampires series is even more notable for because of the way in which it speaks to young women. An area of the pop world which is stereotypically reserved for "geek culture" has instead attracted a large female base of fans.

For an actor to join that franchise is a big thing. It's easy to see how the fame has affected the series' big stars, RPattz and KStew, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli and so on. The next movie, "Eclipse," features a number of newcomers, one of whom is Australian actor Xavier Samuel. MTV's Josh Horowitz spoke to Samuel on the MTV Movie Awards red carpet last night, and the actor happily described the difference between joining the "Twilight" franchise and any other random acting gig, as you can see in the video below.

Tags eclipse, Twilight, Video, Xavier Samuel

I have a sneaking suspicion that this post-Halloween, Monday morning Daily TwitPic is going to be familiar to a lot of you. With a fanbase as rabid as "Twilight"'s, a reveal like this has a way of spreading like wildfire across the community. Still, a Daily TwitPic is a Daily TwitPic, and this one is an early glimpse at "Eclipse."

One of the new characters introduced in the saga's third book/movie is Riley, who will be played by Xavier Samuel. He's a newborn vampire in the thrall of Victoria (previously Rachelle Lefevre, now Bryce Dallas Howard), a pawn the vampiress uses in her plans for exacting revenge on Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) for the death of her mate, James (Cam Gigandet). To celebrate last week's successful "Eclipse" wrap. director David Slade posted this first look at Samuel-as-Riley "between set ups." Read more...

Tags David Slade, eclipse, Twilight, Xavier Samuel

Now that production is underway, reports of "Eclipse" set photos will be popping up more and more frequently. I've never understood the appeal myself. These days, so much of the glue that brings a movie together is applied during the post-production phase that they tend to be pretty boring. Sure, you sometimes get a glimpse of cool costumes or foreground set trappings, but with a movie like "Eclipse," even that will be relatively unexciting.

Then again, that's kind of what being a fan is all about. Obsessing over the small stuff just as much as you do over the big stuff. And here you've got set photos featuring two newcomers to the "Twilight" team: Bryce Dallas Howard, who replaces Rachelle Lefevre in the role of Victoria, and Xavier Samuel, who plays Victoria's lackey Riley. They're blurry and captured from a distance, but there are a lot of them. The pic up there is just a piece of one; head over to Lainey Gossip for the full set.

Tags bryce dallas howard, eclipse, rachelle lefevre, Twilight, Xavier Samuel

"New Moon" is still four months away, but that doesn't mean the hype train for its successor, "Eclipse," hasn't left the station. Not only is it long gone, but it seems to be picking up steam each day. First there was the Xavier Samuel casting announcement. Then there was yesterday's controversial Victoria casting change, with Rachelle Lefevre being replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard. And with the August principal shooting start date mere weeks away, expect photos, set reports and perhaps even a leak or two to flood the Internet in short order.

To get you Twilighters pumped, we've put together a little photo gallery of confirmed "Eclipse" cast members. It isn't complete complete (take note, nitpickers), but we'll be adding to it as more news emerges. For now, enjoy the beautiful people.

Tags bryce dallas howard, eclipse, New Moon, Photo, rachelle lefevre, Twilight, Xavier Samuel

FROM HOLLYWOOD CRUSH: Over the past week, many of you spoke out in support of "Harry Potter" Star Tom Felton to get the part of Riley in the third "Twilight Saga" film "Eclipse." (Yes, we even noticed there was a petition for the cause!) But now, it seems your "Harry-Potter"-meets-"Twilight" dreams (er, second-time around dreams, seeing as how Robert Pattinson was a member of Hogwarts before Forks) have been crushed.

According to The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Business blog, a virtually unknown actor from Down Under named Xavier Samuel will be stepping into the shoes of the attractive newborn vampire — and member of Victoria's (Rachelle Lefevre) army — who is out to get Bella (Kristen Stewart) in "Eclipse."

Continue reading 'Twilight' News! 'Eclipse' Character Riley Goes To Newcomer Xavier Samuel (Not Tom Felton)

Tags eclipse, Twilight, Xavier Samuel