Charlize Theron has reportedly been meeting with Lionsgate and producers Howard and Karen Baldwin, who are developing the newest adaptation of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged,” a project that’s reportedly been in the works for 37 years. Due to the exorbitant length of the novel, plans are to create a miniseries for Epix, the pay-cable network Lionsgate is forming with MGM and Viacom/Paramount. She’s officially not in yet though.[RiskyBizBlog]
A script review for Todd Phillips upcoming Zach Galifianakis vehicle “Due Date” has revealed the the film will follow a “worrywart” protagonist and a man-child (Galifiankis) who are kicked off a plane together and are forced to take a road trip in an attempt for the protagonist to return home in time for the birth of his child. While the first two acts of the film are described as run-of-the-mill road-trip-comedy stuff, the final third reportedly explores emotional ground that provides the film a “jolt.” Faith in Phillips/Galifianakis? [ScriptShadow]
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the scribes behind Marc Webb’s “500 Days Of Summer,” are set to adapt James Collins’ “Beginner’s Greek.” The film will centers on an investment banker who meets his soul mate on a plane, loses her phone number and discovers later that his best friend has married the woman. [Variety]
Uma Thurman is set to lead indie drama Will Raee’s “Girl Soldier,” the story of a 1996 raid at a boarding school, where a band of armed rebels abducted young girls to turn them into soldiers and sex slaves. Thurman will portray a cleric who helps the schoolgirls escape. Sounds like he actress finally got sick of taking on trite trash like, “The Accidental Husband” and “My Super Ex-Girlfriend.” [Variety]
Actor-comedian Josh Gad has joined Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in Ed Zwick’s “Love and Other Drugs.” Previously titled “Pharma,” the film will follows a salesman (Gyllenhaal) who competes in the cutthroat world of pharmaceuticals to hawk a male performance enhancement drug and enters into a relationship with a woman (Hathaway) with Parkinson’s disease. Gad has been cast as Gyllenhaal’s brother. [THR]
It’s TV news, but we do love David Wain, so it’s nice to hear that the “Role Models” filmmaker will be directing, “The Station,” a single-camera TV comedy (think “Arrested Development” style) produced by Ben Stiller for FOX that will co-star John Goodman. Wain is actually only directing the pilot, but the project — about a covert CIA operative (Justin Bartha) and his workmates, who are on a mission in Central America to install a new dictator — sounds rather interesting for TV. Goodman will play a older, CIA mentor. [THR]
Ayn Rand = career poison.
Theron's an interesting choice for the lead role. But you still need the few male leading characters of the novel to round out the cast. A star ilke Theron, or Angelina Jolie (once rumoured) won't be enough.
If this does become a mini-series instead of a feature film (that would end up 2.5 hours long at least) is there still be a chance of acutally landing Theron or Jolie?
The main obstacle to condensing the novel into a single feature film seems to be the running time required for a 1300 page book.
The settings in Atlas Shrugged include boardrooms, railroad stations, steel mills, etc, so the budget could be kept to a reasonable level for a risk like this. But a strong and probably expensive cast is needed to make a dialogue-heavy novel standout on screen.
And it'll take one ofthe best directors and writers to make this compelling. Recreating the book on screen won't cut it.
Best of luck to Theron. If it is ever made, I would be first in line. It would be very intriguing to see the screen adaption, finally after all these years, and after all the failed attempts.
I always imaged Johnny Depp or Leonardo DiCaprio as Galt. And always always Kate Winslet as Taggart.