You could say my interest in Therese Raquin has gone from “2%” to… “slightly higher,” seeing as Deadline reports that Oscar Isaac will take a major role in the film, starring with Elizabeth Olsen, Jessica Lange, and Tom Felton. (The original story from November purported that Glenn Close would be taking Lange‘s role. It was not meant to be.) Adapted from Emile Zola‘s novel by writer-director Charlie Stratton, the film revolves around Raquin, a young girl forced to marry her evil cousin, Camille (Felton), and live with her aunt, Madame Raquin (Lange). Isaac is the knight in shining armor, Laurent, a man with whom she forms a true bond — only to set into motion “a tragic outcome for all three.”

If you don’t know why Isaac‘s casting makes any kind of difference, you’d be well-off knowing he’s had great turns in Drive, Sucker Punch (really!), and will be taking the lead in Joel & Ethan Coen‘s Inside Llewyn Davis. He’s talented, charismatic, and kind of a big deal.

Moving on — Joseph Kosinski and his high-polish congregation of actors recently rolled cameras on Oblivion, but the cast is ever-growing. According to Deadline, Oscar winner Melissa Leo is now locked into an undisclosed role — something that, given the late addition, I can’t imagine is too huge — placing her in the company of  Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. This being a minor update notwithstanding, I’ve been rather fond of Leo‘s work — especially with the recent renaissance that’s come with acclaimed work in The Fighter, Mildred Pierce, etc. — which, ultimately, makes her another promising name in what could otherwise be a shaky proposition.

Oblivion centers on “a surface drone repairman (Cruise) who discovers a mysterious woman (Olga Kurylenko) in a crash-landed pod, setting off an unstoppable chain of events that will force him to question everything he knows.” It’s been scheduled to hit theaters on April 26th, 2013.

Has Isaac’s casting lifted your hopes for Therese Raquin? Do you hope to see Leo get a big Oblivion role?