Could Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Anna Kendrick and several other character actors join the rodeo romance drama, “Paper Wings”?
According to Access and the NY Post (who thought it was a Scientology meeting), the stars, including actors Chad Michael Murray, Eric Dane, Tate Donovan, Tom Skerritt, Tom Arnold, Johnny Galecki, and Jenna Elfman, all convened for a table reading on the project.
Last we heard, Gabrielle Muccino (he directed Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” and “Seven Pounds,” the former of which garnered the actors an Academy Award nomination) was just one of the directors in talks, but with Will Smith actually at the table reading, this is a pretty good sign that Muccino is onboard. Table readings are generally reserved for once a cast has been locked and is about to shoot.
But apparently reps from several of the actors say no cast has officially signed on and this was just a simple table reading. That must be some script if they can basically audition an entire cast together in one sitting. Either that or the reps are lying and everyone is loosely attached (though, what’s the difference, really?).
The film follows a rodeo champ (Cruise’s role if he takes it) who falls for an aspiring country singer. Evidently Smith and Cruise have been looking for a project to work together on for some time and this could be it.
Curiously enough, one of the names first connected to this film when initially reported on a few months ago, Reese Witherspoon, is absent (she would have played the country singer). Could that be because she’s gearing up to star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled Scientology drama, known as “The Master” in August? We hope this is further evidence that the project is shooting soon, though PTA just said it himself recently, so why should we doubt the man?
Tom Cruise is already locked in to appear in “Mission Impossible IV,” but there’s no shoot date for it yet. Since the film isn’t scheduled to hit until December 2011, its conceivable that ‘Wings’ could go first if it’s as relatively small as it sounds. [via /Film]