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Eddie Redmayne May Join Wachowskis' Sci-Fi Pic 'Jupiter Ascending'

by Ben Pearson
December 17, 2012
Source: Variety

After holding his own against Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn last year, young actor Eddie Redmayne has become a star on the rise. He's appearing in Tom Hooper's musical adaptation of Les Miserables (recently nominated for a SAG award for Best Ensemble Cast), was in talks for the role of Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (which eventually went to Dane DeHaan), and was even testing for a lead role in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Even if that doesn't work out, it still looks like Redmayne is headed to the stars, as Variety reports he's going to join the Wachowskis' sci-fi epic, Jupiter Ascending.

Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis are already locked in as the leads in this story from the Wachowskis, which follows a Russian immigrant (Kunis) who scrubs toilets on Earth but possesses the same genetic makeup as the Queen of the Universe. When an assassin (Tatum) is sent to kill her, he falls in love with her instead and the two go on the run from an evolved humanity that's been crossbred with animals to give them heightened traits. Rumor had it Joseph Gordon-Levitt was going to be offered a role back in May, but since we haven't heard any more about that, we're wondering if he passed and this is the same role.

Details on Redmayne's character are unclear at this point, but this would be his first big tentpole film. I've liked him in everything I've seen him in so far, and if the Wachowskis have faith that he can handle a huge scale project like this, I'll trust their judgment. Cloud Atlas didn't fare so well at the box office (which is a shame), but maybe Jupiter Ascending, with a story that's a bit more straightforward, will connect more with general audiences. Regardless, I'm stoked to see Redmayne show his talents in a film like this.

Filed under Casting, Movie News, SciFi

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