Better Living Through Chemistry is set to be the writing/directing debut of filmmaking team Geoff Moore and David Posamentier. Their script was one on the much-buzzed about Black List and centers on a small town pharmacist whose mild life — complete with loveless marriage — is thrown into spin when he begins an affair with a pill-popping trophy wife who eventually involves him in a plot to murder her husband. Early casting news reported that this humble counter jockey would be played by Jeremy Renner. But his meteoric rise has lead to casting in much bigger vehicles (The Bourne Legacy, The Avengers, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), leading him to drop out in July. At this point Sam Rockwell stepped in opposite Jennifer Garner, who was slated to play the adulterous and murderous trophy wife.
However, with Garner now pregnant with her third child, she has had to step aside, and Variety reports that Cowboys and Aliens star Olivia Wilde is currently in talks to take her place. What does this mean for Better Living Through Chemistry? Well, while Wilde (trying saying that three times fast) was a part of the raunchy and satisfying comedy The Change-Up, she’s not typically known for comedic chops. So, pairing her with her Cowboys and Aliens co-star Rockwell (whose recent filmography is spotted with such stinkers as Iron Man 2, Everybody’s Fine and Gentlemen Bronchos), it seems the film will be tipping more into drama than comedy. But having not read the script it’s hard to say whether this will be for better or for worse. To me personally it’s worrisome, because while both of these performers possess an unquestionable charisma, neither has put anything on screen in the past few years (save for Moon) that has driven me — well — wild.
What say you? Are you intrigued by this cast? Do you prefer it to the Renner/Garner pairing?