After the summer of 2011 in which Ryan Reynolds featured in two disappointments — the superhero flick "Green Lantern" and the body swap comedy "The Change-Up" — one wondered if the actor's shot at the big time was in trouble. But earlier this year he helped make "Safe House" a big hit (and it now has a followup in the works), next summer he's got "R.I.P.D." (which is also primed for a sequel if it's a hit), and now it seems the actor wants to prove he's got the chops to go with his looks. He's already lining up a role in Atom Egoyan's "Queen Of The Night," and he seems to have earned the attention of another arthouse director as well.
Reynolds is in early talks to star in "The Voices" for "Persepolis" co-director Marjane Satrapi. A long-gestating dark dramedy that once had Mark Romanek and Ben Stiller linked to it, "The Voices" is a Black List script penned by Michael R. Perry ("Paranormal Activity") that tells the story of Jerry Hickfang, a bathtub factory worker who kills the woman in accounting with whom he's been having a relationship. He then starts taking advice from his cat and dog on how to cover his tracks and avoid trouble, all while leading him to some kind of salvation. So yeah, it's high concept, definitely wacky, and the kind of stuff that's great on paper, but hard to pull off in front of cameras.
Production on the movie is slated to start early next year, and we'd reckon that Reynolds' involvement will come down to scheduling as Egoyan's film is slated for a late February start. The actor will also probably want to ensure that Satrapi can pull off the material. But it's clear Reynolds is not adverse to taking some risks, and given the talent that has eyed it previously, it looks like a project that could provide a meaty and distinct role for him. [Deadline]