We figured
Doug Liman's untitled and highly ambitious science fiction thriller set on the Moon had been scrapped a while back as it's being so long since an update (around two years) but
The Hollywood Reporter claims today that Paramount brass are looking at securing a tentpole star, perhaps to get the long-gestated film into orbit this year. Previously attached star
Jake Gyllenhaal is said to have long left the project (we figured as much, Source Code is the sci-fi blockbuster he did instead) and now Liman has turned to and met with
Andrew Garfield, Chris Pine and
Emile Hirsch for the lead role. Yup, it's the usual suspects again as only yesterday we reported that Garfield and Pine were already being courted by Hollywood
to star in Akira. If Hollywood producers each had their way, half a dozen actors would rotate the biggest films year in and year out.... and it's because guys like Pine now have the credentials to get an expensive, original property like this off the ground. Despite the long attachment of Gyllenhaal, no actress was ever signed up for the film surprisingly, despite a major co-starring role being required. For the first time we are now hearing some female names that are circling and it's a more diverse set of names than the male lead with
Rosario Dawson, Eva Mendes, Rachel McAdams, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana and
Megan Fox all cited. All are said to have met with Liman who having starred the Bourne trilogy and worked on A-list led movies Mr. and Mrs Smith and more recently Fair Game, is able to attract star power. Liman is said to be in L.A. today conducting more meetings with even more to come next week.
Previously titled
Luna, the story follows a group of renegade employees from a space center who steal equipment to reach the Moon, where they plan on stealing an energy source and an ex-Nasa employee! Such an absurd plot has predictably had trouble in the writing stages and in locking down exactly how it will play out. The project originated from Doug Liman who brought on
John Hamburg (I Love You Man) then
Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down) and then
Dan Mazeau (Borat). Then even the film's producer
Simon Kinberg (xXx 3) got in on the act, before more recently it was
Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down). Though we say more recently, that was almost two years ago. Astonishingly with no word of a new scribe boarding, the movie looks to have been patched together to film this year. That's despite Liman
attaching himself to a biopic of
Morris Abraham Two-Gun Cohen on Monday. As for who could lead? Well with no character descriptions leaking, at least not from what I can tell, I can only tell you that Chris Pine is a real action star... and his chemistry with
Zoe Saldana was electric in Star Trek.
I would pay to see a movie led by them both and with the opportunity for at least one more of the actors/actress met to star in the ensemble picture, Paramount could quickly have a serious tentpole on their hands here.