Although their ambitious passion project Cloud Atlas only racked up around $85 million worldwide, not hitting its original budget, the Wachowskis‘ next film, Jupiter Ascending, is already in motion. While it still sounds to be an epic undertaking in the world of sci-fi, clearly Warner Bros. has more confience this time, giving the filmmakers a reported $200 million. As production gears up, we’ve also got some additional casting.
According to Deadline, Sean Bean has signed on for the role of Stinger, a character described in the vein of Han Solo and clearly older than our lead, played by Channing Tatum. The Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings star will also be joined by Eddie Redmayne and Mila Kunis in the story that follows our characters as humans who, in this future, aren’t as evolved as powerful beings across the universe.
One can check out more details on the ambitious project here, but it’s great to see Bean nab a high-profile part like this. While he’s either been reserved to villain roles or minor characters, hopefully he will indeed get a substantial Solo-esque turn for this project. Regardless, the Wachowskis must have some great material in order to get this one off the ground so quickly, so stay tuned for updates on the project as they come in. Just don’t die on me, Bean.
Production kicks off soon in the UK for a 2014 release.