Word had gone quiet for a few months on “The Words,” a Black List script that picked up Bradley Cooper as its star, with Jeremy Irons in negotiations, back in February. With Cooper proving himself a bona-fide movie star with the surprise success of “Limitless,” and attaching himself to everything from “The Crow“ and “Paradise Lost“ to, more excitingly, Derek Cianfrance‘s “Blue Valentine” follow-up “Place Beyond The Pines,” we’d wondered if the project was still on the cards for the actor.
But with Cannes underway, there’s suddenly been a pair of casting announcements, and they’re as high-profile as the two names already on board. Variety reported that Dennis Quaid was on board for the project, while Coming Soon noticed that the film’s executive producer, indie film legend Cassian Elwes, had also tweeted that “Avatar” and “Star Trek” star Zoe Saldana was also confirmed for the project. Their roles, for the moment, remain under wraps.
The project marks the directorial debut of “Tron: Legacy” writers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, who were credited with co-writing the story on the Disney tentpole, which is interesting, as we don’t really remember there being one. Though a drama about a man who discovers there’s a price to pay for stealing someone else’s work doesn’t exactly sound like gold, it seems likely that some kind of genre element will come into play. The film will be produced by Benaroya Pictures, a new outfit also in charge of financing “Margin Call” and “The Wettest County in the World.”
The film is currently being shopped to buyers in Cannes, and with the cast lining up like this, it shouldn’t be too difficult to make a huge deal for international sales. There’s no firm word on when it’ll get in front of cameras, but with Cooper’s dance card so packed, and Saldana committed to the “Star Trek” sequel later in the year, we assume a window in their busy schedules has already been found.