Considering filming on “Safe House” has been underway for quite some time now, this is a fairly big name to be joining the cast this late in the game.
Deadline reports that Vera Farmiga has come aboard the thriller that already stars Ryan Reynolds, Denzel Washington, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Cunningham, Sam Shepard, Robert Patrick, Tim McGraw, Ruben Blades, Nora Arnezeder and Fares Fares. The film, from “Snabba Cash” director Daniel Espinosa, follows a young U.S. intelligence agent (Reynolds) who must go on the run with a newly arrived prisoner (Washington) after his titular safe house comes under attack by assassins. McGraw and Arnezeder will be portraying Reynolds’ mentor and love interest respectively, while Fares will play the villain. Farmiga will play a CIA operative who oversees Reynolds. If it’s the role we think it is, much of it takes place on the phone and was originally written as a male character, but is flexible enough for Farmiga to take over easily.
We’ve read the script by David Guggenheim—described as a mix between “Collateral” and “Three Days of the Condor”—and felt it was “a fast-paced, page-turning script, but it could use some texture and depth to make it something out of the ordinary.” Hopefully scribe Terry George (”Hotel Rwanada,” “In The Name Of The Father”), who was brought on to rewrite the picture, has smoothed out the little wrinkles. But with Espinosa behind the cameras we’re stoked. “Snabba Cash” was a favorite among the Playlist crew and we’re eager to see how he does with his first Hollywood venture.
“Safe House” hits theaters on February 10, 2012.