After Steven Soderbergh dropped out of directing The Man From U.N.C.L.E., he decided very quickly that he wanted to reunite with his The Informant! and Contagion writer Scott Z. Burns for The Side Effects.
Today we learn that Blake Lively has scored the lead role of Emily Hawkins, “a woman who turns to prescription meds to cope with the anxiety of the upcoming release from prison of her husband.”
On top of this, Soderbergh has cast Channing Tatum in the role of Hawkins’ husband and Jude Law as Hawkins’ psychiatrist. There are also a number of supporting roles that are left to be cast.
It has also been announced that Annapurna Pictures, not Summit, are negotiating the finance side of the film, which will begin filming in April, right after Lively wraps season 5 of Gossip Girl.
No release date for the film has been set yet but it had been previously stated that Soderbergh wished to give the film the same late 2012 release he had for The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Personally, I am a huge fan of everyone involved in this film. I think Lively is severely underrated and you only have to look at her fantastic performances in The Town and The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee to see that she has serious dramatic acting credibility.
Law is obviously fantastic and I really like the direction Tatum is taking his career in lately, despite a few poor choices.
Hopefully we will see The Side Effects by the end of 2012 because by the sounds of it, this one may make for some good Awards bait.
