Clive Owen Cast In Ang Lee's Gemini Man
Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media have added a familiar face to the cast of Ang Lee's Gemini Man.
Per Variety, Clive Owen is set to star in the forthcoming drama pic, which stars Will Smith as a pair of clones (one is a middle-aged hitman, the other is a younger version of himself at the peak of his fighting prowess). It's unclear who Owen will play exactly, as details about his character are extremely sparse for the time being, but the outlet does note that the part will be an "antagonist role."
Even with Owen's casting, one important piece of the Gemini Man puzzle is still missing: the female lead. Director Lee will reportedly meet with Orphan Black actress Tatiana Maslany, 10 Cloverfield Lane star Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 standout Elizabeth Debicki for the part. The meetings are expected to take place in the next few weeks, according to sources close to the outlet.
Gemini Man has been on the road to development for over two decades now, first getting housed at Disney in 1997 after Darren Lemke (Jack the Giant Slayer) initially pitched the idea. Executives took to the project quite well, but despite their evident interest, the film was shelved. The reason? A lack of visual effects technology at the time. Back then, it wasn't easy (read: essentially impossible) to make one actor portray two different ages in the same pic, but now, it's a simple feat.
Skydance boarded the project last year, with Jerry Bruckheimer, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger signing on to produce. Don Murphy and Chad Oman are attached as executive producers. Lee was announced as the official director in spring of 2017, replacing original helmer Tony Scott. Curtis Hanson was linked to take the reins on the flick at one point as well.
Owen was most recently seen on the silver screen in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and will next star as Claudius in Ophelia, a fresh spin on the classic Hamlet story told from the eponymous character's perspective.
Gemini Man is due out on October 4, 2019.