Sharlto Copley seems to be comfortable with numbers. The District 9 actor is now in talks to headline the upcoming I Am Number Four for DreamWorks, according to THR.com. The film is based on the young adult science fiction book by James Frey and Jobie Hughes, Alex Pettyfer, a British actor making his American debut with Beastly, is playing the title role of Four, one of nine aliens who
escape their home planet before its annihilation by a rival species and
hide out on Earth disguised as human high schoolers. Copley is playing
a man who hailed from the alien world’s serving class but now is the
title character’s adult guardian and mentor.
There
are plenty of Hollywood heavyweights behind the project, as Al Gough
and Miles Millar wrote the screenplay, D.J. Caruso is directing and
Michael Bay is producing with Steven Spielberg. Meanwhile,
Copley will next be seen in Joe Carnahan’s A-Team remake as “Howling
Mad” Murdock.