“Mad Men” star Vincent Kartheiser — whose character on the AMC drama has taken somewhat of a backseat to the Don Draper show this season — is the latest star to join Andrew Niccol’s upcoming sci-fi thriller formerly, and horribly, titled “I’m.mortal” (evidently no new title has been settled upon).
The project marks Niccol’s first effort since 2005’s “Lord Of War” but promisingly sounds more in the vein of his excellent debut feature “Gattaca.” Amanda Seyfried, Justin Timberlake and Cillian Murphy are already on board for the story set in a world where “time has become the currency. The rich are immortal, while the rest struggle to stay alive.”
The story begins when “a rebel from the ghetto is falsely accused of murdering a wealthy man for his time, he is forced to go on the run with a beautiful hostage. Together, this duo rages against the system, living minute to minute. They discover that love is more powerful than all the time in the world.” It’s a high-concept sci-fi that sounds somewhat corny in description but we’re sure the logline of “a man struggling to become an astronaut in a world dominated by genetic manipulation” undersold “Gattaca” too.
The talented young cast is another reason we’ve got on eye on this project with Timberlake and Seyfried set to portray the leading rebel/hostage duo, Murphy to play a law enforcer known as a “timekeeper” and Kartheiser as Seyfried’s father; a man forced to choose between the daughter he loves and the oppresive time system that has made him rich. Also joining the quartet is Collins Pennie (“Fame,” “Fired Up,” “Prom Night“) who’ll play Murphy’s right hand man.
No word yet on when production is scheduled to begin, but we figure it should be very soon. 20th Century Fox will distribute the pic which has Strike Entertainment trio Eric Newman, Marc Abraham and Kristel Laiblin producing. [Variety]
