Anne Hathaway (Interstellar) will star in the upcoming film Colossal, which will be written and directed by Timescrimes and Open Windows director Nacho Vigalondo, according to THR. Described as a cross between “Godzilla and Being John Malkovich,” the plot will follow a woman names Gloria (Hathaway) who loses her job and her fiancé and decides to move back home from New York City. After a monster attacks the city of Tokyo she begins to suspect there may be a link between her mind and the monster. Vigalondo, in addition to his feature films, has contributed segments to horror anthologies The ABCs of Death and V/H/S: Viral and the premise of the film seems like a strong one.
In other casting news, Natalie Portman has found a trio of new projects. First, she’ll star as Jackie Kennedy in the upcoming biopic Jackie. According to Variety, the story follows “the first four days in Jackie Kennedy’s life after the assassination of her husband, President John. F. Kennedy, when she lost the love of her life but won the love of a nation.” Produced by Darren Aronofsky, No director Pablo Larrain will kick off production at the end of this year. Before that, he’ll direct Neruda, the biopic on the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet, played by Luis Gnecco. Variety reports that Gael Garcia Bernal has reteamed with the director, playing Inspector Oscar Peluchoneau, who led the police manhunt for the title character.
Back to Portman, she’ll join Lily Rose Depp in the upcoming French film Planetarium, to be helmed by Rebecca Zlotowski (Grand Central) and written by Zlotowski and Robin Campillo (The Returned). The director told Variety that the film will be a 1930s period piece about two sister spiritualists who are believed to have a special connection to ghosts. They also indicates that the film will cover the rise of extremism in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s and thus be topically relevant the rise of new forms, and old, of extremism in Europe today.
And in more Portman casting news, Deadline is reporting that the actor will play Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in the upcoming On the Basis of Sex. With Marielle Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl) in talks to direct, Focus Features is also in talks to finance the film. The script, on the 2014 Blacklist and written by Daniel Stiepleman, covers Ginsberg’s fight for equality throughout her career as she was the second female and first Jewish Supreme Court Justice.
French actress Berenice Bejo (The Past) has been cast in the film Fai Bei Sogni, based on the Italian best seller of the same name by journalist Massimo Gramellini. It is set to be directed by Italian director Marco Bellocchio (Vincere) and will feature a mostly Italian cast including Valerio Mastandrea (La Prima Cosa Bella), Fabrizio Gifuni (Hannibal), Barbara Ronchi (Honey) and Guido Caprino (War Story). According to Variety, Bejo will play the “companion and emotional healer” of the protagonist who has to come to terms with the death of his mother when he was a boy.
Deadline is reporting that Douglas Booth, seen recently in the Wachowskis’ sci-fi epic Jupiter Ascending, will join the new film from director Haifaa Al-Mansour (Wadjda). Titled A Storm in the Stars, it is about the life of an 18-year-old Mary Shelley. According to Deadline, the film will document her adventures with Percy Shelley (Booth), Lord Byron and other milestones of her early life. Booth joins Elle Fanning (Maleficent) and Bel Powley (Diary of a Teenage Girl) on the project which will begin production in fall.
Lastly, Focus Features has bought the rights for North American distribution to the upcoming film The Coldest City, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Antony Johnston. The film will star Charlize Theron, who can be seen in Mad Max: Fury Road, and will be helmed by John Wick directing duo David Leitch and Chad Stahelski. Deadline reports that Kurt Johnstad (300) is writing the script. With Theron front-and-center and the stunt-coordinators-turned-directors Leitch and Stahelsk at the helm, it looks like it will be something to look forward to.
Which of the above projects are you looking forward to?