Decoding Annie Parker is quickly becoming an indie film to look out for next year. The film is to be Steven Bernstein’s feature directorial debut, having worked as director of photography for many years, and his cast is looking pretty impressive so far.

The film will star Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton in the leads, with a supporting cast that includes Aaron Paul, Alice Eve, Corey Stoll, Maggie Grace, and most recently The Social Network’s Rashida Jones.

THR now report that Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford, who fans of Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing will better know as Toby and Josh, have joined the cast, along with acting veteran Bob Gunton, most recently seen in The Lincoln Lawyer and the last two (and a bit) seasons of 24.

Decoding Annie Parker is based upon,

“[T]he true story of geneticist Mary Claire King, who discovered a gene linked to breast cancer. Hunt stars as King and Morton plays Annie Parker, a woman who resolves to fight her cancer diagnosis.

Schiff will play Allen, an executive who meets with Hunt’s character to discuss funding her research. Whitford will play Marshall, boyfriend to Morton’s character. Gunton will play Dr. Benton, who works with another doctor played by Corey Stoll.”

I’m a big fan of The West Wing, and naturally welcome the news of Schiff and Whitford working together on the same film. By the sounds of it, they probably won’t be getting any screen time with each other, but it’s still excellent news nonetheless. They’re both fantastic actors, and are rounding up the film’s supporting cast very nicely. Production is already underway out in Los Angeles, and I’m hoping it will be ready for release by this time next year. Given the storyline, it’s certainly possible that if it’s done well and becomes something of a sleeper indie hit, we might even be talking about it as an Oscar hopeful in a year’s time. But naturally, only time will tell. More news as we get it.