Several major casting updates have been confirmed by Mike Fleming over at Deadline Hollywood, and perhaps the most notable (at least in my opinion) is information regarding Danny Boyle‘s Slumdog Millionaire follow up 127 Days. As most of you probably know, the film follows Aron Ralston, the infamous mountain climber who cut off his own arm to save his life. The big announcement has already been made that James Franco will star as Ralston, but we now know that Amber Tamblyn will co-star as Ralston’s girlfriend, with their relationship played out primarily (if not entirely) through flashbacks. I am extremely excited for this film, and after Franco‘s masterful performance in Milk was overlooked by awards voters, I’d have to think he could be easy Oscar bait if this film delivers.
The next update revolves around Joe Wright‘s Hanna. Cate Blanchett is reportedly signed on to star alongside Saoirse Ronan and Eric Bana. Ronan‘s lead character is a rebellious, violent women on a mission to find her father. I was pretty disappointed with Wright‘s last film The Soloist, but these casting announcements go a long way towards overshadowing that. Even though The Lovely Bones was a muddled film, I enjoyed Ronan‘s performance a great deal, and seeing her tackle a role like this has the potential to be a real treat.
Fleming’s last announcement deals with Cary Fukunaga‘s upcoming Jane Eyre adaptation. Mia Wasikowska — who will be seen alongside Johnny Depp in Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland — has signed on to star as the title character, with the brilliant Michael Fassbender (Hunger, Inglourious Basterds, Fish Tank) to co-star as Rochester. I don’t know much about Wasikowska‘s work so far, but she did star alongside Hal Holbrook in a film I’m dying to see called That Evening Sun. She’s worked with some great actors so far, including Daniel Craig in Defiance, and Fassbender is another step in the right direction.
One final update comes courtesy of Variety, which informs us that Rachel Weisz has signed on to join Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts in Jim Sheridan‘s upcoming thriller Dream House. If there’s one thing we all learned from Brothers, it’s that Sheridan is able to get some great performances from his actors, and he’s got to be licking his chops at the opportunity to work with this stellar group. The plot, revolving around a couple (Craig and Weisz) who discover that their new house was the scene of a brutal murder scene, is far from an original premise, but I still find myself wanting to learn more.
There you have it. Plenty of casting updates to get excited over. It’s definitely a tough call, but from Weisz to Wasikowska and Tamblyn to Blanchett, which announcement do you think is the most promising?