Jodie Foster Also Officially Off The Project
Having had to choose between two clashing projects she had hoped she could appear in both — John Hillcoat‘s adaptation of “The Wettest County in the World” and the fantastical family drama “Stoker,” penned by Wentworth Miller under his Ted Foulke pseudonym — rising Australian actress Mia Wasikowska looks like she’s made her choice.
And as we predicted, Wasikowska is now in talks to take the lead in “Stoker,” a buzzed-about Black List script that boasts franchise potential — Miller has already penned a prequel titled “Uncle Charlie,” which will continue to follow the story of the lead’s family who “have a knack for burying secrets, as well as bodies.” We guess, theoretically, the actress could still manage to find time to fit in a supporting role in Hillcoat’s ‘The Wettest County’ but, with talks previously put on hold for both project, the fact there’s only news of negotiations for “Stoker” presumably means Hillcoat and company will have to look elsewhere.
The project will also excitingly mark the English-language debut of South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy,” the Vengeance trilogy) who’s now confirmed to be at the helm after a few months of discussions and quiet negotiations. Actress Jodie Foster was also attached to star in the project at one point (so was Carey Mulligan in the role Wasikowska will now likely own), but is now officially off, probably due to her burgeoning slate which includes Roman Polanski‘s “God of Carnage” and more pressingly, Neill Blomkamp‘s “Elysium” which will shoot later this year.
“Stoker” is described as a fantastical, fairy-tale like family drama that follows the story of an eccentric teen whose enigmatic and estranged uncle returns to the family after the death of the girl’s father. People, however, start to go missing in her hometown at the same time and she soon discovers that her uncle may be the cause. The role of said uncle has even been linked to Johnny Depp, but as little has been heard on that front, we’d be completely surprised if those rumors came to fruition.
Ridley and Tony Scott are producing “Stoker” under their Scott Free banner in conjunction with Fox Searchlight. Lensing will likely to begin imminently and the same applies for ‘The Wettest County.’