Director Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) is set to direct an adaptation of the best selling novel Water for Elephants. Sara Gruen's book will be adapted for the screen by Richard LaGravenese (PS I Love You). Yesterday, word came out that Water for Elephants may be Robert Pattinson's next project, to film in June before Breaking Dawn. Reese Witherspoon has already been attached to the film, and Sean Penn is rumored to play Reese's husband in the film, the other part of the love triangle.
When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.
Sean Penn as a paranoid schizophrenic animal trainer? Yeah, I can totally see that. This looks like it would be a good role to break into more "serious" films for Robert, who would obviously play Jacob. Deadline Hollywood reports:
I haven't read the book yet, but I've got it on order!Deals still have to be made, and putting three pricey stars in a period adult drama is a challenging proposition. Pattinson, who between Twilight segments starred for Summit in Remember Me, has been cautious about choosing his next job, but the prospect of starring in another well-known literary adaptation, potentially alongside two Oscar winners, seems a strong move.
