The fantastic news came just a few days ago that John Goodman, known for such brilliant roles as Sulley in Monsters, Inc. and of course Walter in The Big Lebowski, is set to join Robert Zemeckis’ return to live-action in Flight, starring as the best friend of the leading man, Denzel Washington.
More great casting additions have now surfaced over at THR, with Academy Award-winning Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and James Badge Dale (TV’s 24 and The Pacific) in talks to join the project.
Written by John Gatins (Coach Carter, the upcoming Real Steel), Flight,
“centers on an alcoholic and drug-addicted pilot (Washington) whose plane engine malfunctions, forcing him to rescue the aircraft and its passengers, becoming a hero in the process. When the FAA investigates and finds evidence of drug abuse, it tries to sweep the evidence to the side to help preserve the image of the captain, who is trying to change the course of his life.”
If talks go well, Dale would be playing a dying cancer patient and Leo an investigator determined to expose Washington’s character’s drug addiction and cast the blame upon him.
Leo’s talents were deservedly well recognised at the Oscars earlier this year, where she won Best Actress for her part as Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale’s mother in The Fighter. She’s currently starring in Kevin Smith’s Red State, out in cinemas now, having just been nominated for an Emmy for her role in Mildred Pierce.
After a terrific role in the third season of 24 as Kim Bauer’s boyfriend and Jack’s fellow CTU agent, Dale has mostly been picking up small roles here and there, but has seen some attention heading his way in the past year or so, with a lead role in HBO’s The Pacific, and upcoming roles in Steve McQueen’s highly anticipated Shame with Michael Fassbender, Joe Carnahan’s The Grey with Liam Neeson, and Marc Forster’s World War Z with Brad Pitt.
With Bruce Greenwood having just officially signed on for the project too, and Don Cheadle and Kelly Reilly in negotiations along with Goodman, and of course with Washington as the leading man, signing on to Flight can only be good news and further great recognition for both Leo and Dale, and hopefully we’ll soon be getting the news that their negotiations have been successful. This is definitely shaping up to be a project to look forward to.
