Oscar winners Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz are set to star in Roman Polanski's adaptation of Yasmina Reza's Tony Award-winning play "God of Carnage," Foster and Waltz's representation at ICM and Winslet's publicist have confirmed to TheWrap.
The story concerns two sets of middle-class parents who meet for dinner after their sons are involved in a fight at school. The confrontation goes disastrously wrong after each couple attacks the others' parenting skills, which leads to the husbands and wives turning on each other about problems in their own marriages.
The second male lead has not yet been cast, despite Deadline's initial proclamation that Matt Dillon had landed the plum part.
The idea of Foster and Winslet trading verbal barbs is positively tantalizing, and it'll be nice to see Waltz out of villain mode for a change, as the "Inglourious Basterds" star will soon be seen as the antagonist in "The Green Hornet" opposite Seth Rogen and "Water for Elephants" opposite Robert Pattinson.
James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis starred in the original Broadway incarnation of the play, which ran for 452 performances before closing in June.
The play was set in Brooklyn, but because the Oscar-winning director isn't allowed to enter the U.S. due to his well-documented legal troubles, production will take place in Paris beginning in February.
France's SBS will co-produce with Germany's Constantin Film, and ICM's Jeff Berg packaged the project.
Winslet next stars in HBO's miniseries "Mildred Pierce." She also appears alongside Hugh Jackman in the omnibus film "Untitled Comedy," and is set to star in Steven Soderbergh's upcoming virus thriller "Contagion." She is represented by CAA.
Foster stars in and directs "The Beaver," which has been delayed indefinitely by distributor Summit Entertainment in lieu of star Mel Gibson's legal troubles.
The "God of Carnage" casting news was first reported by Deadline.
