Every now and then a special film comes along. A film so special that it's almost too good to be made. Prometheus writer Jon Spaihts' Passengers is one of those films, with two female leads, one male lead, and a director dropping out of the picture between 2013 and now. With a new director recently secured, it's time to fast track a new cast. Lucky for all involved, two very hot commodities have landed in their lap, as Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are in talks to take up the leads.
Variety first reported that Jennifer Lawrence was in talks to take over the role of a female passenger aboard an interstellar voyage. Awoken 90 years too soon, she finds that someone else has had the misfortune of waking up way before their voyage was supposed to conclude, and has woken her up on purpose. That "misfortunate" companion was tipped later in the day to be the role that Chris Pratt entered talks to fulfill, though being awake for 90 years alone with J. Law seems to be more of a lottery ticket rather than a parking ticket.
As mentioned before, Lawrence and Pratt aren't the only leads that were considered for this film, as Reese Witherspoon was originally attached, with Rachel McAdams being her first replacement. Sadly, McAdams wasn't meant to be, as she eventually departed herself, which sent ripples of departure through the entire project, most importantly The Weinstein Company and Keanu Reeves. Of course, with every fall, there must be a rise, and that came just a couple of days ago when Morten Tyldum, fresh off of his Oscar nomination for The Imitation Game, signed on to become the new director of Passengers.
With Jennifer Lawrence, and now Chris Pratt, entering the mix for Passengers, there's a good chance that this film could be up and running at some point this year. That is, assuming that Lawrence and Pratt's schedules aren't too prohibitive, what with X-Men: Apocalypse and Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 both on the books for release in the coming years. Worst case scenario, we could see Passengers going in front of cameras late this year/early next year, fitting right between both actor's next Marvel gigs.
Should all of these pieces fall into place, Passengers could find itself worth the wait. Morten Tyldum has made a huge impression with The Imitation Game, and Lawrence and Pratt already minted stars of the current generation of actors. There's a chance that this film could not only make for a potential summer blockbuster, but it could help elevate the careers of its leads as multifaceted jacks of all trades. Specifically, this could be a great re-enforcement of Chris Pratt's dramatic chops, which he's flexed in films like Zero Dark Thirty, before his huge claim to fame.
You can see Jennifer Lawrence next in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part II, on November 20th, while you can see Chris Pratt in Jurassic World on June 12th.
