A casting director and I were discussing a few things this morning and she mentioned that “Water for Elephants”, the new Francis Lawrence flick headlined by Robert Pattinson, is about to undergo reshoots.

I see Hollywood Insider mentioned the reshoots earlier this week, and that one of the new scenes being filmed involves a baby and a dog. I don’t know what that’s all about or whether the scene involves a dog eating a baby or a baby eating a dog or even Robert Pattinson… but that’s what they got.

What wasn’t mentioned was how extensive the reshoots were -seems there’s a good couple of weeks planned of new stuff, including a new ending.

Another casting notice was issued this morning, advertising for :

MALE MODELS
SAG male models. Must be 5’10 or taller and be willing to cut hair to fit period if needed. NO tattoos, NO highlights in hair. Must be available 1-13-11 for fitting and work date of Saturday, 1-15. Can not have worked on the feature ‘Water For Elephants’ before.

FEMALE MODELS
SAG female models. Must be 5’8 or taller and have shoulder length or shorter hair. No tattoos, NO highlights in hair, NO implants. Natural, period look. Must be available 1-13-11 for fitting and work date of Saturday, 1-15. Can not have worked on the feature ‘Water For Elephants’ before.

Francis Lawrence has tweeted that they’re “just shooting a couple of new additions and a surprise for the end” so nothing for Pattinson fans to be too worried about

Two different sources confirmed for me today that the film is undergoing reshoots this month.

One told me, “I’m being told that director Francis Lawrence has been asked to reshoot some of the movie - someone wants the film, which is a very stylistic almost jigsaw-puzzle of a film, to appeal to a broader audience than what it will in it’s current form (read : more commercial). That doesn’t mean it’s a poor film, in fact I could be a brilliant piece, it’s just a studio making sure they get the most bums on seats possible.”

Another, who has somewhat of a link to the production, says “It’s all good. The film is brilliant, man. Oscars 2012. Mark My Words. But yeah, what you’ve heard is true - we are doing new stuff. It’s all secondary character stuff”
The first scene to be reshot “involves a 9-month old baby (blue-eyed) who is going to playing with a small dog - a Jack Russell, I believe”, I was informed earlier today.

So… um, they’re adding cute stuff? or a pre-credits sequence? Young Robert Pattinson? Whatever the case, I’m fairly confident this is gonna be a must-watch flick.

The reshoots begin January 14.