She certainly is, in a very sure-footed way, and the Canadians are getting a full dose!

CBS films has announced that Vanessa will be toplining their fantasy feature, Beastly based on the book by Alex Flinn. The movie is scripted and would be directed by Daniel Barnz of Phoebe in Wonderland. It is supposed to be a modern and dark take on the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in Manhattan. Filming starts 15 June in Montreal, Canada.

Vanessa is also set to star as an insane inmate in an asylum, in Warner Bros much-anticipated r-rated action/fantasy; Sucker Punch, scripted and to be directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), described as Alice in Wonderland with machine guns, set in the 1950s. Filming starts in September in Vancouver, Canada.

She is also in early talks to topline Lorenzo DiBonaventura’s (Transformers, Salt) comic book franchise, Dead@17. That would be a while yet, but while waiting, aside from the aforementioned;

Vanessa would be appearing this summer (August 14!)  in Summit Entertainment’s edgy dramedy, Bandslam, directed by Todd Graff (Camp), with a cameo by David Bowie. Watch the adorable video below to hear Vanessa dish about the movie and her forthcoming roles.

Keep a tab on this space for more details and interviews as Bandslam promo starts and for the Team Hudgens stylewatch, Vanessa Hudgens edition!

I’ve got to say, Vanessa never fails to amaze me at how sensible she can be for someone her age. One of the appealing things about her is the ability to reach out for her dreams but with patience and an old soul pragmatism, but more on that in the next post.

For now, it’s enough that she realizes that though she needs to expand beyond her current fanbase, they did give her her big break and are growing up to be the next generation of moviegoers,  so while Beastly is a different role for her resume, it’s still within reach of these fans who would not be able to see Sucker Punch. This way, she’s able to keep her fanbase while expanding into new territory. That sounds like common sense to me.

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