Having recently wrapped up production on the highly-anticipated Carol, Rooney Mara jumped right to Pan and now she’s added another film to her queue. According to a press release, she’ll lead and produce an adaptation of Amanda Linhout and Sara Corbett‘s A House in the Sky for Megan Ellison‘s Annapurna Pictures. The story will follow her as Linhout, who was abducted in 2008 by a Somalian terrorist group. There’s no word yet on who’ll write or direct, so stay tuned.
Before Birdman drops this fall, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is already underway on development for his next feature The Revenant, which will kick off production shortly. With Leonardo DiCaprio on board and Tom Hardy in talks, Variety reports that Will Poulter (We’re The Millers) will come aboard the project in an unknown role. Produced by New Regency and distributed by 20th Century, it’s an adaptation of Michael Punke‘s 19th century-set western novel, in which DiCaprio will play the lead character of Hugh Glass, an injured fur trapper who’s robbed by two men after he can’t be brought back to civilization; after being left for dead, he escapes the wilderness and goes to find revenge.
Speaking of Millers, its other star, Jason Sudeikis, has joined the next film from Napoleon Dynamite helmer Jared Hess. Once titled Loomis Fargo, it stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig and follows “David (Galifianakis), a disgruntled armored car driver who teams up with a pretty co-worker (Wiig) and a group of inexperienced criminals to steal nearly $20 million from a bank vault. The thieves leave a glaring trail of evidence in their wake as they go on excessive spending sprees and buy mansions, sports cars and boats. To make matters worse, the driver’s accomplices double-cross him and leave him alone on the run in Mexico while they live the good life off the loot back in the States. Now on the lam and in over his head, David must dodge the authorities and try to turn the tables on the ones he trusted most.” Production kicks off this July for a release next August, The Wrap reports.
Meg Ryan has been attempting to mount her directorial debut for some time, and it looks like she’s not only settled on the material, but also another cast member. According to THR, she’ll be adapting William Saroyan‘s The Human Comedy in Ithaca, a drama that begins shooting next month. Set during World War II, it tells the coming-of-age story of a boy living in California who must deal with the effects of the war. The trade reports that Tom Hanks will reteam with Ryan, playing the boy’s father, for the project also starring Sam Shepard, Melanie Griffith and Jack Quaid.
Deadline reports that Casey Affleck has his sights set on Transformers and What Richard Did star Jack Reynor to play Josh Hamilton in the upcoming biopic he’ll write and direct. Relativity have the project and have teamed with Hamilton and his wife Katie, will also produce, for the film that will chronicle the baseball player’s early struggles. Hamilton was addicted to drugs including cocaine and crack, before turning to religion and leading to his discovery that puts him where he is today, one of the top players in the game. Lastly, in very minor news, Ben Kingsley will voice Bagheera, the black panther in Jon Favreau‘s 2015-bound The Jungle Book adaptation, the trade also reports.
Which of the upcoming projects are you most looking forward to?