You could think the female lead in “Gone Girl” was on the level of pop culture phenomenon Lisbeth Salander – and who knows, maybe it could be when all is said in done – but it speaks to the allure of David Fincher, that seemingly every major actress in Hollywood is throwing elbows to get a chance for the gig. Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Emily Blunt have already been named as contenders, with Rosamund Pike emerging as a frontrunner earlier today, but it’s hardly a done deal as more actresses are surfacing.
According to Variety, Abbie Cornish, Olivia Wilde and uh, Julianne Hough (“Rock Of Ages,” “Footloose,” “Safe Haven“) have submitted audition tapes for the role. Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, whomever wins the juicy part will star opposite Ben Affleck, who plays a former magazine journalist who moves back home to Carthage, Missouri, to open a bar with his sister after falling into financial hardship. But he becomes a prime suspect when his wife goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary.
Apparently, Theron isn’t pursuing the part and scheduling could count out both Portman and Blunt. Pike is on Fincher’s list, but he has yet to meet her and something tells us Fox will want to have a say on the female lead as well. As THR noted earlier today, Fincher might have the kind of leeway he’s used to, as they indicate “it’s not free rein” for the filmmaker, with Variety suggesting budget could come into play too. Affleck is an expensive lead, so another A-list name could be out of the question.
We can only imagine more contenders will pop up soon, but with a fall shoot looming, we’d guess a decision will be made shortly, as Fincher is already scouting locations.
I agree. The actress who plays Amy should be older than Nick (and Affleck is 40). My favourite for the role would be Diane Lane…gorgeous, great acting chops, age appropriate. Naomi Watts, Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron are all fine choices.
David Fincher is definitely losing it. First , he praised the mediocre Scarlett Johansson's screen test for Girl With The Dragon Tatoo. Now, he is seriously considering two hideously acting female cardboard cutouts – Olivia Wilde and Julianne Hough ( I mean look at their past performances and their film choices ) . It is bad enough, that he hired Ben Stiff Affleck . This guy struggles to give a decent performance.
Evan Rachel Wood will be perfect for this movie
Olivia Wilde is trying so hard to build herself a career that it's kinda cute really … but for some reason it just doesn't seem to work (she tried indie flicks and blockbuster alike, and everything in-between).
Turns out I still remember her for her House gig.
Rosamund Pike please!
Kirsten Dunst would be amazing!
Yeah Naomi Watts would be the perfect choice!!
What about Emily Blunt? I haven't read the book but am guessing she'd be good.
This would have been such a great opportunity for an older actress (since Amy is 5-6 years older than Nick in the novel.) It's a shame they're looking for starlets when actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Garner, Cameron Diaz and the aforementioned Watts would have all been interesting choices…
why julianne hough? she's not a good actress, more to nicholas sparks material than to serious films
Why isn't someone like a Naomi Watts in contention? All these young actress are good, but probably too young to pull it off.
I know the article suggests that all of these are trying out for the role of Amy, but might Cornish and Hough be up for the role of the young girlfriend (can't think of her name) that Nick has an affair with? Wilde seems oddly between the age of the wife (too young) and the age of the girlfriend, and too young to be the sister also.
They're too young: the wife is older than her husband and it's important for the story
In what world does Hough, Cornish and Wilde hold a candle to the likes of Theron and Portman? Especially Theron. Even if she's not pursuing the part, the idea of Theron even being mentioned heightens the role.
I could see Abbie Cornish, maybe even Julieann Hough, but has Hollywood not realized Olivia Wilde is box office poison yet?