Hot with Oscar buzz, Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman look to new roles in ‘Stoker’
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
EXCLUSIVE: Colin Firth has had his pick of roles in Hollywood ever since the Oscar buzz started for his portrayal of King George VI in ‘The King’s Speech.’ Now it looks like he’s made up his mind.
The British actor is negotiating to join ‘Stoker,’ a family mystery-drama that South Korean filmmaker Chan Wook-Park is making as his first English-language movie, according to a person close to the production. It would be the first movie that Firth has shot since ‘The King’s Speech’ became a box-office and critical phenomenon. (Firth had previously become attached to a remake of “Gambit” that the Coen brothers wrote, but that would in all probability shoot after “Stoker.”)
Nicole Kidman, herself gaining award-season buzz for her turn as a grieving mother in ‘Rabbit Hole,’ is also negotiating to come aboard in a lead part, the person close to the production said.
Penned by actor Wentworth Miller, ‘Stoker’ tells of a girl and her mother who are visited by a mysterious uncle after the girl’s father dies. Kidman would play the mother and Firth the uncle. The Fox Searchlight film, which is being produced by Ridley and Tony Scott’s production company and will star Mia Wasikowska as the girl, India Stoker, is set to start shooting in late spring. Representatives for the actors were not immediately available for comment.
Firth and Kidman, both visiting Los Angeles this week, met with ‘Oldboy’ auteur Park to discuss the nuances of their roles, according to a person familiar with the meeting who was not authorized to speak about it publicly.
The castings would mark the next chapter in the long and complex careers of both Firth and Kidman. The former had heretofore been known to U.S. audiences primarily for supporting roles in movies such as ‘Bridges Jones’s Diary.’ Kidman, an Oscar winner for ‘The Hours’ in 2002, had recently starred in a number of disappointments, including ‘Australia’ and ‘The Golden Compass.’
-- Steven Zeitchik
