With Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch attached to the male leads in Oliver Stone’s upcoming Savages, the hunt has been on for the woman who will play their shared girlfirend. Stone had wanted Jennifer Lawrence, but her commitment to The Hunger Games took her out of the running.
According to Variety, Gossip Girl and Green Lantern star Blake Lively is now Oliver Stone’s first choice for the role of Ophelia, although once more he may have troubles with her being nabbed by a higher profile flick. Apparently Lively is also currently mulling over playing Glinda the Good Witch in Disney and Sam Raimi’s Oz The Great And Powerful, and the planned shooting schedule for that overlaps with Savages. As yet she hasn’t received an offer for Savages, but has expressed her admiration for Stone. It would probably be difficult for an up and coming actress to turn down such a high profile role as the one in Oz though.
Savages follows two Laguna Beach marijuana growers who grow some weed that attarcts the attention of a Mexican drug cartel. When the bad guys kidnap Ophelia, the free-spirited girlfriend they share, the guys concoct a plan to get her back and get the cartel out of their lives. Benicio Del Toro is negotiating to play one of the cartel enforcers.
If Lively does turn down Savages, Stone has apparently met Olivia Wilde and Teresa Palmer about the role. He needs to find someone soon though if the movie is to keep its June start date. Salma Hayek and Uma Thurman are also being eyed for roles.