It’s finally happening. After experimenting with motion-capture technology in A Christmas Carol, Beowulf and The Polar Express, Forrest Gump and Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis is returning to live-action fliming with Filght. Production begins next month in Georgia (and in need of extras) and Paramount has already assembled a fine cast. We reported Don Cheadle and Bruce Greenwood recently joined the ensemble including Denzel Washington and Kelly Reilly. We now have one confirmed cast member and two more circling.
THR reports that The Hurt Locker star Brian Geraghty has joined the film as Washington’s “co-pilot, a man who finds religion after the crash.” The crash in question comes from John Gatins’ (Real Steel) script, following “an alcoholic and drug-addicted pilot whose plane engine malfunctions, forcing him to rescue the aircraft and its passengers, becoming a hero in the process. When the FAA investigates and finds evidence of drug abuse, it tries to sweep the evidence to the side to help preserve the image of the captain, who is trying to change the course of his life.”
The Grid also reports offers are out to Frances McDormand, who “would play a lawyer who is head of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Tommy Lee Jones is also reportedly circling the role of the small airline owner. Keep in mind these are simply offers and in no way confirmation, but it is interesting to see who may join the cast. I’ve been eager for Zemeckis to return to live-action and he is assembling a top-notch bunch of players.
Expect a late 2012 release for Flight.
What do you think of the new cast announcements?