Likely changing pace from projects such as Hercules and Seal Team 666, it’s reported, by Variety, that Dwayne Johnson will take on a real-life tale (no, those two aforementioned titles are not rooted in fact) by the title of Not Without Hope. Taking from a memoir by Nick Schuyler, it tells of four men — the author; his friend, Will Bleakley; and NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper — lost at sea after their boat was cast asunder in the Gulf of Mexico.
Johnson is expected to take the lead, playing Schuyler, while Relativity Media will finance and distribute.
Although Stephen Frears has already commenced shooting on his Ben Foster-led, Lance Armstrong-centered biopic, casting is still underway: next, TheWrap report that Lee Pace (The Hobbit: Yes, We’re Still Doing This) will take part in the production, though no details as to his part actually exist. Outside these two noted players, Chris O’Dowd will take a top role — as journalist David Walsh; his book, Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong, is the film’s central inspiration — while Guillaume Canet and Jesse Plemons are also aboard.
John Hodge (Trainspotting, Trance) is behind the screenplay — a piece of material that’s led to support from Working Title and Studio Canal.
Getting themselves one step ahead of Ridley Scott, star Isaiah Washington and helmer Matthew A. Cherry (The Last Fall) will examine the world of NFL concussions in Game Time Decision — a project which, for the writer-director, has a rather personal connection. A former athlete himself, he’s taken up the opportunity to “truthfully present what life is like for a person that suffers from this disease and to further the conversation on how CTE impacts players and their family members.” Thus the Blue Caprice star will play an ex-football player whose terrible injuries from days on the field — more specifically, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy — have created an estranged relationship with his son.
Production begins this spring.
On a final note, Variety tell us Thomas McCarthy has found the next star of his upcoming, Adam Sandler-led drama, The Cobbler, with Dan Stevens (The Fifth Estate, Downton Abbey) reportedly signing a deal. As was reported back in September, the whimsical-sounding picture likely follows, indeed, a cobbler, but not just any kind — in this case, one who can “metaphysically step into the lives of the people whose shoes he repairs.” With casting in motion, shooting ought to commence soon.
Do any of the noted titles (or their casting) pique your interest?