Though production is apparently already underway on Nima Nourizadeh’s next film – American Ultra – the cast is still being expanded, with the latest addition being Connie Britton.
The actress – who garnered numerous awards nominations for her performances in Nashville and American Horror Story – joins Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart in this action-comedy, scripted by Max Landis (Chronicle). In the film, an aimless, small-town stoner (Eisenberg) is suddenly revealed to be a talented sleeper agent for a covert Government program, and must go on the run with his girlfriend (Stewart) when operatives are tasked with ‘cleaning house’, as the program is discontinued.
Connie Britton will play the creator of the program, in a role that was previously rumoured to have been circled by Uma Thurman. While she is best known for her work on the small-screen, this role will be her biggest, most high profile foray into movies yet.
The script, by Max Landis, has attracted an impressive supporting cast so far – currently comprising of Tony Hale (Veep), Topher Grace (That 70s Show), Walton Goggins (Justified), John Leguizamo (Chef) and Bill Pullman (1600 Penn). With the addition of Britton, hopefully all the players are now in place to successfully get the film in the can.
There is apparently a great deal of ‘buzz’ around American Ultra, despite it sounding like a farcical take on the Bourne franchise. The excitement is, perhaps, assisted by the knowledge that its star, Jesse Eisenberg (most recently seen in The Double), will be moving on to the highly anticipated Batman vs. Superman once this film has wrapped. Even so, it is hopefully – equally – an indication that Max Landis has written a screenplay that is more than just a tedious parody, and is a good film in its own right. We will have to wait until the planned 2015 release to find out, though.
Published: May 2, 2014 05:36 am