Michael Angarano has appeared in some outstanding films (Almost Famous and Snow Angels come to mind), but has yet to find the project that takes him to the next level. Perhaps it will be The English Teacher, Craig Zisk’s indie comedy that that will cast the young actor alongside Oscar nominee Julianne Moore.
It’s not a prequel to Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient … and for that, we should be thankful. Instead, Variety reports that Angarano would play a failed playwright who returns to his small home town and falls for his former English teacher (played by Moore). Dan and Stacy Chariton co-wrote the screenplay, which also has lured Greg Kinnear and Nathan Lane in as-yet-undeclared roles.
That’s a solid cast for Zisk, whose directorial credits are littered with fantastic television projects such as Alias, Scrubs, Weeds, Nip/Tuck and The Big C. From what I can tell, this is his feature-film debut, but based on the shows he’s used to cut his teeth, I’m anxious to see what he’s able to do with a dependable ensemble.
Angarano, meanwhile, recently wrapped The Brass Teapot with Juno Temple, and can be seen in Steven Soderbergh's Haywire and Kevin Smith's Red State. He’s voicing a townsman in the animated Noah’s Ark: The New Beginnig, as well, so he’s staying busy. We’ll have to wait for Teacher to see what qualities Angarano has that Moore finds so appealing, but with these two talents involved in the show, I’ll buy into this May-December romance and see how things unfold.
