Catherine Keener will co-star in DreamWorks’ music film The Soloist.
Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. have already boarded the project, which Atonement helmer Joe Wright will direct starting in January.
The story centers on Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless musician with schizophrenia who dreams of playing at L.A.’s Disney Hall. The screenplay, by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), is based on a 2005 series of articles by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez.
Downey Jr. will play Lopez, who found Ayers (Foxx) on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Keener will portray Lopez’s wife.
Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff are producing, while Tim Bevan executive produces.
Lopez’s articles, “From Skid Row to Disney Hall,” also serve as the basis for an upcoming book by Putnam.
