What’s a little bit of fame and Oscar buzz good for if not setting yourself up to tour your way through the projects of every interesting director in town? Rooney Mara has set herself up for such a path, and now taking a break from the David Fincher train she’ll be boarding Steven Soderbergh’s. We’ve brought you details on the project – currently using its original title The Side Effects again — though there’s now a longer synopsis out there that spells out a murder as a key point in a plot about a woman’s spiraling use of prescription drugs to deal with the stress of her husband’s impending release from prison. I’m still not 100% sure that’s not a spoiler, so I’ll mention it below and you can skip it if you’re sensitive.
As for the casting, you may remember that opposite Chatum “Holy Shit You Guys, Have You Noticed How Boring I am?” Tanning they had cast Blake Lively in the lead role. Apparently Lively has fucked off, opening up the spot for Mara to take it over and instantly reaffirm my excitement in the movie. Don’t get me wrong- I just caught up on Haywire last night and pretty much loved it, finding non-actress Carano to be a compelling action hero. But while I have faith in Soderbergh’s skills I’m going to always be more interested if I know he’s working with ripe talent, rather than trying to squeeze blood from a rock.
Presumably Megan Ellison and her production company agree, as word is that she’d split from the project largely due to the casting decision of the lead role. With Lively out and Mara taking over, I assume there’s a chance her sweet sweet dollars may come flowing back into the project. Considering the involvement of other actors (like recently cast Catherine Zeta-Jones) was on shaky ground with a lead financier departing, so hopefully that will be the case.
As for that plot point, there some haphazard mentioning that the plot will involve its lead defending herself against accusations of the murder — that she may or may not have committed, or that may or may not have even happened — of her recently released husband.
PS: This film shouldn’t be confused with indie horror director Ti West’s new sci-fi project, as it’s titled The Side Effect. I have a feeling one or the other’s title will change again before long.
We’ll be keeping our eyes out. This is definitely one of the year’s most interesting projects.
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