For quite a while it looked like Ang Lee’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s The Life Of Pi was dead in the water, but the director stuck at it and now he’s putting together his cast. A couple months ago he announced he’d cast Suraj Sharma, a high schooler from Delhi and a newcomer to acting, as Pi Patel, the teen who, after a shipwreck, is left floating in the middle of the sea in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, zebra, hyena and orangutan as his only company.
Now three more people have been added to the flick, Gérard Depardieu, Irrfan Khan and Adil Hussain, according to Variety. Gérard Depardieu will portray a chef while Irrfan Khan will play the adult version of Suraj Sharma’s character, Pi. Adil Hussain will appear as Pi’s father and Bollywood star Tabu is in talks for the role of Pi’s mother.
Production should begin early next year from a script by David Magee.