While we're no closer to finding out what Christopher Nolan's next directorial project will be, a film is gearing up that is something very near; the directorial debut of Nolan's regular DoP Wally Pfister, an original sci-fi project called "Transcendence," which has already attracted some serious A-list talent in the shape of Johnny Depp, who's going to be playing the film's lead. The likes of Christian Bale, James McAvoy, Tobey Maguire, Christoph Waltz, Ewan McGregor and Tom Hardy have all been connected to the film of late, but no word's firming up on who might be joining Depp in the project.
Deadline reports that a trio of very hot-right-now actresses are being considered to play the female lead in the film, in the shape of Rooney Mara, Emily Blunt and Rebecca Hall. Blunt is the diciest of the trio, as it's believed that the film's shoot could clash with her role in the Tom Cruise sci-fi actioner "All You Need Is Kill," but even if she does fall out, all three are terrific actresses and would certainly fit nicely into a part that Noomi Rapace and Kate Winslet had previously been mentioned for. That said, if reports about the project that emerged yesterday are correct — namely, that the actresses would play Evelyn, the fellow-scientist wife of Will (Depp), who uploads his brain into a supercomputer after he's assassinated by terrorists — it's a little bit icky that actresses around half Depp's age are being considered for the part, rather than people more age-appropriate. But par for the course in Hollywood, we suppose.
Either way, a decision's set to arrive on Friday, so we're unlikely to have to wait too long to discover which of the trio has landed what must be one of the most sought-after female leads in Hollywood right now. Filming will get underway on March 4th, so expect to see the rest of the cast fall into place after Christmas. No release date yet for "Transcendence," but it will be hitting IMAX screens presumably in the latter half of 2014 or early 2015.
