Offers Out To Greta Gerwig & Cate Blanchett
It seems Noah Baumbach and Ben Stiller are new BFFs. Of course, they teamed on “Greenberg” which hit theaters this spring and for a while, they were both tentatively attached to the family film “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” until they both dropped off (the project is now moving ahead with Jim Carrey and Mark Waters). Not only that, Baumbach was tapped to do a quick punch up on Stiller’s character in the script for the currently shooting comedy “Tower Heist,” so it was pretty inevitable the two would find a film to work on again as director and actor.
Vulture reports that Baumbach, Stiller and James Franco are set to team on “While We’re Young” with offers out to Greta Gerwig and Cate Blanchett (whose involvement will apparently depend on scheduling). Details are being kept tight, but it sounds like its in very, very familiar territory as the plot will follow “a free-spirited Brooklynite twenty-something couple (Franco — and, possibly, Gerwig) who inspires an uptight documentarian (Stiller) and his wife (possibly Blanchett) to loosen up — with comedic consequences.”
So yes, another investigation of well off tribulations of young(ish) and presumably well off couples and please, spare us the comments — we’ve heard them over and over. Baumbach’s is a voice we really enjoy and while “Greenberg” split the staff here a bit (this writer thought it was great), it’s clear Baumbach and Stiller are lighting a fire in each other and that’s exciting stuff.
No word on when this will get in front of cameras, but early 2011 seems likely and we presume that Blanchett’s scheduling will depend on whether or not she gets called to the set of “The Hobbit.” Trivia time: Jennifer Jason Leigh was originally going to play the role now being offered to Blanchett but obviously, since she and Baumbach recently divorced, that’s no longer in the cards. And bonus round trivia: Mark Ruffalo and Amy Adams were the leads who were first circling “Greenberg” so file that under What Could Have Been. We hope at some point they find their way back to a Baumbach gig.