The Dallas Buyers Club has been in the works for a long time, but in the last few months its been inching ever closer to the screen, with Matthew McConaughey feeling it was near enough that he’s lost huge amounts of weight to play the title role. Now Deadline reports Jennifer Garner is close to signing on for the film, taking a role that was once destined for Hilary Swank.
The drama is based on the true story of Ron Woodroff, an AIDS patient who before the advent of modern treatments, began smuggling drugs into the US that had shown great promise in helping people with HIV/AIDS. The Texas electrician then clashed with the Food and Drug Administration, which wanted to keep the drugs out of the country until they’d been fully licensed – even though that meant some people would die in the meantime.
The production is also close to signing the important role of a cross-dresser, but no further information has been revealed. Gael Garcia Bernal will also star, with production due to begin on November 11th in New Orleans.