You'd think The Wachowskis would have gotten their epic sci-fi trilogy kicks out of their system with "The Matrix" but evidently not — the duo are gearing up "Jupiter Ascending," a planned kickstarter to a trilogy that is set in a universe where human beings are not the most evolved forms of intelligent life. With things reportedly due to get underway this fall, and on the back of Mila Kunis joining the flick, Channing Tatum has confirmed with MTV his own involvement in the ambitious project.
Tatum will play a bounty hunter who is dispatched to take down a toilet-scrubbing Russian immigrant (Kunis) who "possesses the same perfect genetic makeup as the Queen of the Universe and is therefore a threat to her otherwise immortal rule." Things get complicated, though, when the two fall in love and go on the run. So, yeah, pretty much "Snow White & The Huntsman" through the Wachowskis' eye, but things are taking an interesting dimension with Joseph Gordon-Levitt said to be receiving an offer for a role in the pic and Tatum claiming that the helmers will "reinvent the wheel as far as action goes, all over again."
The project also marks another accomplishment for Tatum who's grown from a rom-com pretty boy to an auteur's favorite. That auteur is, of course, the retiring Steven Soderbergh who is currently working with the actor on "The Bitter Pill" along side Rooney Mara, whose personality seems to be a subject of fascination for Tatum.
"She's the most mousy and terrifying person I've ever met," Tatum explained to E! "She's such a little introvert. She's also the sweetest little thing you've ever met."
"Rooney can get this glazed over like look in her eyes that you're like, 'Oh, God—I hope I never see that coming my way,' " Tatum added. "She's truly one of the most fabulous actresses. She has a skill set that I have never seen with the actresses I've worked with. Everybody's different and have the things that they're strong at, but she's special, for sure."
Soderbergh's penultimate project, "The Bitter Pill," is due to be released on February 8th next year with Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vinessa Shaw co-starring in the tale of a young woman (Mara), who turns to prescription meds to deal with the anxiety caused by her husband's (Tatum) upcoming relase from prison. Below are a bunch of set photos from the production, unveiling, among other things, Mara's very un-Lisbeth Salander weave. [Vulture/RooneyMara.net]
