With “The Hunger Games” franchise coming to a close next month, Jennifer Lawrence has set her sights on a project with one of Hollywood’s top helmers.
Sources tell Variety that Jennifer Lawrence is in talks to star in an untitled indie that Darren Aronofsky has declared as his next project.
The film is currently without a distributor but insiders say the “Black Swan” director has begun reaching out to actors with hopes to begin shooting this spring. Lawrence is currently filming the Sony Pictures sci-fi drama “Passengers,” but with “The Hunger Games” and “X-Men” franchises no longer on her schedule, she’ll have more availability beginning in 2016.
Lawrence has become one of the more in-demand talents in town; several projects are being developed for her, but nothing has been given the greenlight for the production.
As for the director, Aronofsky had been eyeing a handful of projects, including an untitled Evel Knievel biopic at Sony starring Channing Tatum, from which he has since moved on. The director currently has a first-look deal at New Regency, so there is a possibility this untitled project ends up at New Regency since they would get first dibs when Aronofsky is ready to turn it in to execs. He had turned in a script to the company earlier this year about a boy living in Staten Island whose drawings come to life. But when budget disputes could not be settled, he turned his attention to writing this untitled project in hopes of making it his next directorial endeavor.
Lawrence can be seen next in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” and Fox’s “Joy.” Both Lawrence and Aronofsky are repped by CAA.
Darren Aronofsky’s upcoming film starring Jennifer Lawrence has landed at Paramount Pictures.
The studio has come on board to distribute the pic. Sources tell Variety that Javier Bardem is in talks to co-star with Lawrence, even though reps for Aronofsky, Paramount and Bardem would not comment on the negotiations.
Aronofsky will write, direct and produce through his Protozoa Pictures banner along with Scott Franklin and Ari Handel. The filmmaker and the studio are planning on a spring shoot.
The film centers on a couple whose relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. It is set for release in 2017.
The “Black Swan” helmer has a first-look deal at New Regency, which ended up passing on the project, leaving Paramount the next suitor to take over rights.
Aronofsky had been toying with several ideas for his next project for the last couple of months, including an untitled Evel Knievel biopic starring Channing Tatum and a family film, before finally turning his attentions to this pic. As Variety first reported, Lawrence was always his top choice to star and she quickly attached herself after meeting with Aronofsky about the film.
While a number of actors were chasing role, Bardem was always Aronofsky’s top choice for the part and after Lawrence was locked in, quickly offered him the role.
