EXCLUSIVE: Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley Join 'Dance of the Mirlitons'

Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley and Bailee Madison are attached to star alongside Kristen Bell in indie black comedy Dance of the Mirlitons. 

Evan Greenberg wrote the script and is directing with Daniel Dubiecki and Joel Michaely producing. Joe Kline will also be involved in some producing capacity. The story centers on an ambitious, slightly overweight ballerina with an overbearing mother (Bell) who will stop at nothing to become a star. The girl enters a Mean Girls-type environment when she has to prove her worth in class. Greenberg and the producers spent months trying to cast the lead for the role, which has the potential for a breakout in the way Billy Elliot and Little Miss Sunshine proved a launching point for actors Jamie Bell and Abigail Breslin. Madison, who appears in the upcoming Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It as well as the Guillermo del Toro-produced Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, has nabbed the role of the ballerina. Moretz, the breakout lead of comic book movie Kick-Ass, will play the star ballerina who is Madison’s nemesis. Haley is a subtly sadistic Russian ballet teacher of the highest order. Mirlitons is on the runway to close the last piece of its funding for a shoot next year. Moretz, who is currently shooting Martin Scorsese’s Hugo Cabret, is repped by WME and 3 Arts Entertainment. Haley, repped by CAA and Leslie Allan-Rice Management, can currently be seen on TV’s Human Target. Madison is repped Coast to Coast Talent and James/Levy Management