Most of our to-date coverage of Paul Haggis‘ Third Person has circled around the central casting, which, so far, has been limited to the (perhaps) unlikely duo of Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde. When first word of the project dropped, Neeson briefly offered up the following synopsis: “It’s about three story lines, three love stories, three relationships in three different cities that combine in a very odd way: New York, Paris, Rome.”
About a month later, more concrete details emerged, informing us of the specifics of the three narratives, which, together, encompass a lineup of characters that includes “a writer and his partner, who herself is embroiled in an incestuous affair with her father…a woman trying to obtain custody of her son she’s accused of killing…[and] an American businessman trying to save the kidnapped daughter of a woman who strikes his fancy.” In other words, yes, this is definitely a Paul Haggis joint.
However, a recent report from The Wrap spices things up a bit, to my mind, by announcing that Mila Kunis has become the third star to attach herself to Third Person. Interestingly, the traits of Kunis‘ recent filmography, from the oral-sex aggression of Darren Aronofsky‘s Black Swan to the crude stuffed-animal humor of Seth MacFarlane‘s Ted, don’t exactly beg for Haggis treatment, and that’s rather a good thing — here’s hoping she injects some life into something that, otherwise, sounds like it could end up being dully vanilla.
Other notable tidbits from the report include updates on the production. The budget, it appears, has been finalized at $28 million — not bad, considering the cast — and mid-October has been circled as the desired start date. In addition, Casey Affleck, who did some terrific voice work in the current ParaNorman, and the ultra-busy James Franco are both “in negotiations” to hop on board, though their commitment hasn’t been confirmed yet.
How is Third Person shaping up for you? Do you think Kunis will work well with Neeson and Wilde?