Now that Robert Zemeckis‘ Flight is officially set to roll cameras next month, casting can really get underway. The latest development, according to Deadline, is the casting of Kelly Reilly, who would be playing the female lead. Named Nicole Devlin, the character is described as “a drug addict who is at rock bottom when she meets Whip (Denzel Washington), a commercial airline pilot who heroically flies a damaged plane to safety, saving saving 98 lives on a flight carrying 106 people.” That heroism has an unfortunate side to it, since his inebriation was actually the cause of the plane’s problems; the both of them “become friends as each tries to get their demons under control.”

Reilly‘s biggest role to date was the wife of Watson in Sherlock Holmes, and she’ll be appearing in this year’s sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Other work includes supporting roles in Eden Lake and Pride & Prejudice, but not a lot of starring work. Reilly is currently in talks, and the fact that the role would put her alongside Denzel Washington might alone make it her most prolific part yet. She also managed to beat out actresses like Olivia Wilde and Dominique McElligott, which serves as a good sign.

I don’t see why she wouldn’t sign on, as there’s a lot of promise to be had in the director, star, and basic plot devised by screenwriter John Gatins. This is one I’m actually looking forward to quite a bit; it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a real Zemeckis movie, and it also seems like the first good role Washington has had in the past few years. I guess you could say that this is one project I want to see… take off.*

Is Reilly a good choice to star alongside Washington? Are you a fan of her work?

*sorry