Talk about cinematic whiplash. Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinksi’s next project has already gone through myriad incarnations, and the project doesn’t even have an official name yet. Count that as one of the incarnations, I guess, because it’s already had two names and is currently title-less, despite the fact that it’s an adaptation of a graphic novel that Kosinski himself has supposedly written that, you guessed it, has a title.
Kosinksi conceived of and wrote the graphic novel, known as “Oblivion,” with Arvid Nelson for Radical Publishing, and the book was the primed for a film adaptation before it even hit the page. The story is set in a future where the Earth has been irradiated to the point that humanity can no longer inhabit it, and follows a man who lives “above the clouds, safe from the brutal alien Scavengers that stalk the ruins. But when surface drone repairman Jak discovers a mysterious woman in a crash-landed pod, it sets off an unstoppable chain of events that will force him to question everything he knows.” Tom Cruise has long been attached to play Jak, but the film’s two female roles (Jak’s wife back at home and the lady he finds) have been the subject of speculation for months.
Jessica Chastain was attached to the wife role back in September, but had to leave the project, thanks to her now-crammed schedule. Other ladies that tested for the role, including Olga Kurylenko, Brit Marling, Noomi Rapace, and Olivia Wilde, might have been called back, because Kurlylenko has reportedly cinched the role. Even better than that? The news that Andrea Riseborough is set to the play the crash-landed woman. Phew, didn’t think I had another shortlist in me.
Last year, the “shortlist” for the actresses testing for Riseborough’s role included Hayley Atwell, Diane Kruger, and Kate Beckinsale. Though Riseborough is not even close to a household name, she likely slipped into contention thanks to her upcoming slate ‐ a big role in Madonna’s maligned W.E., a starring role in Shadow Dancer (which will premiere at Sundance), and an upcoming part in the James McAvoy-starring Welcome to the Punch.
Kurylenko has been popping up on these types of lists for awhile now, but is perhaps best known for her work in Quantum of Solace. Next up, she’s got roles in Terrence Malick’s next film (also untitled) and Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths.
Last we heard, the script for the film has been penned by William Monahan, with a rewrite by Karl Gajdusek and a polish by Michael Arndt. The film is looking to start filming sometime within the next couple of months. [Variety, Barnes and Noble]