Either DreamWorks is full of leaks, or this is some kind of negotiating tactic, but it seems Steven Spielberg's wishlist for his upcoming, popcorn movie "Robopocalypse" has made its way to every trade around town. We already know that Chris Hemsworth is in negotiations and Anne Hathaway is being sought, and now you can add one more name to the pile of actors that the director is eager to cast in his movie.
Variety reports that Ben Whishaw is at the top of the list to play a hacker named Lurker (oy) in the film. But of course, no formal offer has been made yet. Based on the book by Daniel H. Wilson and adapted by Drew Goddard, the thriller is set in the near future, where robots are a part of everyday human life…until a sentient artificial intelligence underneath the ice in Alaska programs them to kill. Whishaw is already on the rise at the moment, with a memorable turn in the upcoming "Cloud Atlas" as well as a key gig as Q in "Skyfall." Adding Spielberg to his CV wouldn't be too bad.
Of course, how all this casting buzz eventually shakes out remains to be seen, and it's clear that with "Lincoln" nearing the finish line, Spielberg is eager to get moving on onto his next thing. "Robopocalypse" shoots next year and will hit theaters on April 25, 2014.
Whishaw is a classic trained actor (he went to RADA) and he played Richard II for the Culture Olympiad at BBC with nothing but praise.
I am sure he is a better actor than 95% of his age.
That's funny, I just finished reading the book and this is what I saw. He is far from the description of Lurker in the book (seeing as he's thin as a rail, and as I recall Lurker is a stereotypical, overweight hacker). That said, I don't care and I hope this happens. The book reads like a Spielberg film through and through, just with a slight bit more profanity and violence. (Though if Anne Hathaway is being sought after for the love interest, expect some calls of whitewashing/race-bending. She's African American in the book.)
ben is a poor man's matthew goode
Fantastic news. He's a very talented actor so hopefully this will give him more exposure.