Following his sophomore effort All is Lost, director J.C. Chandor is quickly pulling together the ensemble for his next film, A Most Violent Year. Set to kick off production this week, the 1981-set drama is top lined by Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac as the heads of an oil business that begins to clash with the criminal underworld of New York City. We’ve now got word that they’ll be joined by Alfred Molina, Albert Brooks, Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), and David Oyelowo, last seen in The Butler. Brooks takes the role of Isaac’s attorney, while the other new additions are unknown. A24 recently acquired the drama for likely distribution next year. [THR]
In other casting news, somehow Sergei Bodrov, the man behind the putrid-looking, inexorably delayed Seventh Son, has gotten one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors to lead his next film. Benedict Cumberbatch has been set to star in a thriller titled Blood Mountain, which will be produced by Pulp Fiction‘s Lawrence Bender and follows a private military contractor who is a lone survivor of sorts after a mission, and must extract a top terrorist, while still emerged in battle. Production is said to begin in April, but coming out of Berlin, we’ll believe it when we see it. [Variety]
Next up, a trio of actors have joined Julianne Moore in the indie drama Still Alice. Set to be helmed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, the film follows Moore as a psychologist stricken by Alzheimer’s disease. Kristen Stewart has now joined the project, who finds a new bond with Moore’s character as her daughter, while Alec Baldwin and Kate Bosworth have joined in unknown roles. Based on Lisa Genova’s novel, expect production to kick off shortly. [The Wrap]
Lastly, and perhaps most intriguing, is a project which comes from the mind of Nic Pizzolatto, who has recently been showing off his skills scripting HBO’s fantastic crime drama True Detective. His novel Galveston is now set to come to the big screen under the direction of Armadillo helmer Janus Metz. Adapted by Pizzolatto himself, Matthias Schoenarts (Bullhead, Rust & Bone) has been set in the lead role which finds him as a terminally ill man named Roy Cady who is also being hunted down by his loan-shark boss. While comparisons to early Cormac McCarthy, the search for a female lead is already underway and production should kick off in the next few months under the guidance of August: Osage County producer Jean Doumanian. [Deadline]
Which of the above projects are you most intrigued in?