Hot on the heels of yesterday’s news that Johnny Depp is confirmed to star in Transcendence , comes the tidings that Paul Bettany will be joining him on set.
The two worked together in the somewhat derided The Tourist , but with this film also serving as the directorial debut of Inception cinematographer Wally Pfister, there should be much to look forward to.
Deadline reports that the plot is being kept firmly under wraps, as is typical with Christoper Nolan produced projects. Emma Thomas and Aaron Ryder are named as executive producers, while Jack Paglen is penning the script.
Transcendence’s plot is vaguely nutshelled in various places as the story of Will (played by Depp), as a scientist who gets “killed by anti-tech terrorists, but reborn after his consciousness is housed in a computer.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter , sources have described the film as an intriguing meet of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Inception. THR have a slightly different twist on Depp’s role. Apparently he creates a computer, rather than becomes one and with a “malevolent awareness” — naturally.
As yet, information about Bettany’s role is unknown, apart from the fact that he’s a scientist too. It’s likely the details, such as they are, will change and/or flesh out drastically between now and the film’s release.
Last seen, (actually, heard) in The Avengers as Jarvis, Tony Stark’s computer’s voice, Bettany will reprise that role in the upcoming Iron Man 3 . The Brit will also shortly be seen in Blood , a thriller about a corrupt police family, which is set for limited release this year.
Warner Bros. have given Transcendence a release date of April 25, 2014.
