It seems the Wachowski siblings and Tom Twyker's Cloud Atlas is going to be a bit of an all-star affair, as just yesterday we reported that Hugo Weaving and Ben Whishaw had signed up, with Tom Hanks and Halle Berry confirmed, and now Variety reports that Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent are also circling roles in the movie. They're both in advanced talks, and expected to sign on for the movie, which plans to shoot in September.
The project is based on David Mitchell 'snovel, which follows six story lines that develop in different time periods. These include stories about a 19th century American notary, a poor British musician in the 1930s, a journalist in 1970s California, a vanity press publisher in the early 21st century, a rebellious clone in the near future and a primitive Hawaiian tribesman surviving after the apocalypse. Each actor in the film will be playing multiple roles.
The actors will each play multiple roles in Cloud Atlas, although it isn't known exactly which roles they'll play. It's all certainly a big risk, and you can see why they're trying to attach as many star names as possible, as ensemble tales with multiple stories don't often see big box office, and this one will cost over $100 million to make. Stars will certain help with sales at Cannes, where the movie is being shopped to potential buyers this week.