You're probably seeing more of Laura Linney right now than you have in a while. No, it's not because of her movie Hyde Park on Hudson, which seems to be limping into theaters with barely a mention. It's because of your annual viewings of Love Actually, of course! Don't even try to deny that movie is now a holiday classic, and that Linney's scenes in which she has to turn down the advances of the deliriously sexy Karl aren't the most heartbreaking thing about Christmas-- at least, until Emma Thompson realizes the gold necklace isn't for her.
But I digress. Laura Linney is, by any estimation, a treasure, and even though Hyde Park on Hudson doesn't seem to have worked out, she continues to add more and more fascinating projects that will put her in the spotlight all over again. This time she's in talks to join two of the most fascinating up-and-coming actors, in a biopic about one of the world's most polarizing figures: Julian Assange. According to The Wrap, Linney is in talks for a role in DreamWorks's untitled project about Wikileaks, in which Benedict Cumberbatch will star as the company's mercurial founder Julian Assange, and James McAvoy as Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who became close to Assange and witnessed Wikileaks's rise before having a serious falling out.
It sounds like the film will largely focus on the partnership between the two men, so it's unclear how Linney will fit in, or how large her role will be. But Linney joining pretty much any cast is a good thing, and with Bill Condon directing (stepping back into prestige fare after making three Twilight movies), he seems to be gathering up a stellar cast to support his fascinating story.
