When Cameron Crowe signed on to direct We Bought A Zoo a couple of months ago, the main person being mentioned for the lead role was Ben Stiller, with Matt Damon being whispered as another possibility. However it’s now the latter who’s come to the forefront, with Variety reporting that Damon is now officially in talks to star in the film.
Matt would play Benjamin Mee, who, Despite having no experience looking after animals, bought the delapidated Dartmoor Wildlife Park almost on a whim. He then moved his entire family to Devon, rechristened the attraction Dartmoor Zoological Park, gave the entire thing an overhaul and rehabilitated the animals there, despite also having to cope with the fact his wife’s brain tumour had re-emerged.
Complicating this was that before Mee bought it, the park had been the bane of animal rights activists, who had protested about the poor living conditions of the animals and the safety precautions taken for visitors. The previous owner was charged with 16 offences due to the way he ran the zoo, eventually being found guilty of breeding endangered Siberian Tigers outside of an organised breeding programme, and of keeping them in poor conditions (tigers were found in an old concrete bear pit, with no grass or other amenities). Despite these problems, Mee stepped in after the park was put up for sale but had failed to find a buyer, which put the lives of all the animals at risk.
Damon is yet to sign on the dotted line but things seem hopeful he’ll take the role. We Bought A Zoo is currently scheduled to arrive in cinemas December 2011, just in time for Oscar season.