After terrorizing James Bond, Javier Bardem is looking to mess with the next most-worthy protagonist, Peter Pan. As reported earlier this week, director Joe Wright, coming off Anna Karenina, is set to give the character a new origin story. Set up over at Warner Bros., Deadline reports that The Counselor actor has been given a formal offer for the lead villain role of the captain Blackbeard. Scripted by Jason Fuchs, the projects follows our lead orphan transported into Neverland, leading the natives in a rebellion against the baddie pirates. The role seems like cakewalk for Bardem, so hopefully talks proceed for the project that’s a high priority at the studio.
Next up, Coriolanus stars Jessica Chastain and Vanessa Redgrave are looking to reteam on a new film, one that will have them in more prominent roles. According to IFTN (via ONTD), they have signed on to an adaptation of Sebastian Barry‘s The Secret Scripture. The duo are set to play the character of Roseanne McNulty in younger and older versions, respectively, but no director has been attached yet. Produced by Noel Pearson (My Left Foot) and scripted by Johnny Ferguson (Gangster No. 1), the story follows our main character writing a diary of her earlier years in a Roscommon mental hospital. Set to kick off production next summer, check out an extended synopsis on Amazon.
Lastly, after being fairly blown away by Miss Bala, we’ve been waiting for Gerardo Naranjo‘s follow-up and it looks like it won’t be the Michael Fassbender-led The Mountains Between Us. Instead, Deadline reports that he will write and direct an untitled coming-of-age tale with Dakota Fanning in the lead. The English-language debut from the helmer will follow the War of the Worlds star as Viena, a roadie of a punk band in the 1980s who travels across America. Production begins in February for a hopeful 2015 release, something we’ll greatly be looking forward to.
Which of the above projects are you most looking forward to?