Last year Jake Gyllenhaal showed us a more mind-bending side to the thriller genre with Duncan Jones' time-travel mystery Source Code, and next he'll tackle a tale of doppelgangers with Denis Villeneuve's An Enemy. Based on the José Saramago book inspired by the Fyodor Dostoevsky novella The Double, the film will star Gyllenhaal as a history teacher whose life is thrown off the rails when he discovers a man that appears to be his exact double physically, living nearby. With a knack for intensity and an everyman quality, Gyllenhaal is a solid base on which to build the cast, and Deadline reports Villeneuve is bringing in some international stars to add even more panache to his ensemble.
Isabella Rossellini (Keyhole), Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) and Sarah Gadon (Cosmopolis) have all signed on to play supporting roles in the feature, though no specifics on their parts have been released. However, we do know that Gyllenhaal's history teacher has a serious girlfriend, and his double a pregnant wife, which will likely be the roles of the latter two actresses. Regardless of the particulars, this casting gives some insight into what Villeneuve has in store with An Enemy, for while the plotline seems like something out of an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the celebrated Incedies director has selected three actresses who have shown skills with surrealist efforts. Basically, their casting is a strong indicator that despite the dull title, An Enemy is primed to be something certainly mind-bending and potentially spectacular.
An Enemy goes into production on Toronto next week, and expected to open in Canada in 2013.
