Our Wild Life, a fact-based story about Kenyan conservationist Daphne Sheldrick — she is particularly well-known for her efforts in preventing the extinction of elephants in Kenya — has seen a plethora of conflict in its casting process, as well as in the hiring of a suitable director. The involvement of Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) ended in a rather arduous lawsuit, which began when New Line wouldn’t let Cassavetes direct his own draft of the script. (Jeff Stockwell wrote the earlier draft.) Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), along with big-name stars such as Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, Charlize Theron, and Drew Barrymore also showed interest in the project as some point in time, only to back out soon later. [The Playlist]
Currently, it seems as if Phillip Noyce and Nicole Kidman are the most likely candidates to bring the story to the big screen, though their participation is far from a done deal. Noyce, most recently known for the Angelina Jolie-starring Salt, first became attached to the project when he expressed his disinterest in a Salt sequel. Kidman, on the other hand, has become involved only recently — according to a few reports, she has “read and liked the script.” That’s hardly enough to attach her to the project, but it’s more than any other actress is offering at this point.
Kidman‘s involvement, however, could be jeopardized by Sweet Bird of Youth, a Broadway play she is set to star in this fall alongside James Franco. It seems like, in this case, it’ll be best to wait for official confirmation, which hasn’t been provided yet by Kidman‘s reps at CAA.
Who would you like to see star in Our Wild Life?