“Guardians of the Galaxy’s” Chris Pratt is in early talks to star opposite Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence in Morten Tyldum’s space-set love story “Passengers,” though the actress’ busy schedule may ultimately prevent her from closing a deal, TheWrap has learned.
“Passengers” has a long, tortured development history, and after stops at the Weinstein Company and Focus Features, the project finally crash-landed at Sony back in December. Tyldum, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind “The Imitation Game,” came onboard shortly after.
“Prometheus” scribe Jon Spaihts wrote the script long before he wrote “Doctor Strange” for Marvel.
Set in the future aboard a spacecraft, “Passengers” follows a man (Pratt) who awakens early from a cryogenic slumber and to spare himself from being lonely, decides to wake up a female passenger, which is the role Lawrence is circling.
Neal Moritz and Ori Marmur will produce for Original Film alongside Michael Maher of Start Media and Stephen Hamel of Company Films.
Reese Witherspoon and Rachel McAdams previously flirted with the “Passengers” role that Lawrence is being eyed for, Keanu Reeves was once attached as the male lead.
Lawrence, who next stars in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” will soon begin filming David O. Russell’s “Joy” and Bryan Singer’s “X-Men: Apocalypse.” She is also attached to star in Francis Lawrence’s Fox drama “The Dive.”
Pratt, who next stars in “Jurassic World,” is repped by CAA and Mosaic.
Lawrence is represented by CAA and her potential casting was first reported by Variety.