Jessica Chastain is having one hell of a 2014 campaign, receiving much-deserved raves for her performances in the highly experimental The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, as well as for her turn in Miss Julie. And she’s not done yet: the Oscar-nominated actress is widely expected to factor heavily into this year’s awards race for her performances in two other films, Interstellar and A Most Violent Year, both due out later this year. And if recent casting rumors are to be believed, it seems Chastain doesn’t have plans of slowing down soon.
Sources over at Variety are reporting Chastain is in talks for a role in director Ridley Scott’s science-fiction adaptation The Martian, based on Andy Weir‘s popular novel of the same name. If negotiations prove successful, Chastain would star opposite Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), who joined the cast last spring.
[amz asin=”B00EMXBDMA” size=”small”]Michael Peña (End of Watch) is in talks to join the production as well, though it remains to be seen if his schedule will allow for a role in the film. Peña is currently filming Marvel’s Ant-Man, in which he plays one of two central villains. With The Martian already dated for a November 25, 2015 release, and Ant-Man hitting theaters just a few months earlier, there may not be a whole lot of room for Peña to work with.
According to Deadline, Kate Mara has also been offered a role in the film, though it’s not yet known what role she will play.
The Martian tells the story of an astronaut (Damon) who finds himself stranded on Mars with seemingly little chance of returning home. That’s all I know about the plot, but if you ask me, it sounds an awful lot like last year’s Gravity, only set on Mars.
It is assumed production will begin in earnest soon, if 20th Century Fox hopes to hit that November 25, 2015 release date, so expect more news on this in the coming weeks. But one thing is for sure: if Jessica Chastain is on board, my curiosity is most certainly piqued.
