The sci-fi film Passengers has been a long-gestating project for Prometheus writer John Spaits. And while its long history has been marred by people dropping out of the project, it seems to have found new life with Sony Pictures. According to reports, Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt are in talks to star in the film.
Passengers follows a spacecraft where a man played by Pratt wakes up from his cryogenic sleep a decade early. The man decides to awaken a female passenger to save him from loneliness. Jennifer Lawrence is slated to play the female passenger. However, nothing is set in stone yet, with both actors having a lot on their plate right now. Jennifer Lawrence will also be appearing in the next X-Men film while Pratt is also busy with his upcoming films, including the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.
America’s sweethearts Jennifer Lawrence & Chris Pratt in talks for sci-fi film Passengers http://t.co/0XW5JFCOQb pic.twitter.com/tdQ5sZOvnn
— IGN (@IGN) February 8, 2015
Morten Tyldum, director of The Imitation Game, is slated to direct the project. Passengers has been passed around from studio to studio, with The Weinstein Company and Focus Features being involved at some point before eventually landing at Sony.
Other actors who have been attached to the project prior to the involvement of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are Keanu Reeves, Reese Witherspoon, and Rachel McAdams. All of them eventually dropped out, leaving the project in limbo until December of last year.
Worst case scenario, the project will be delayed yet again to accommodate the busy schedules of both Pratt and Lawrence who will be filming their respective Marvel Comics adaptations.
News of Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt’s involvement in Passengers may be a huge draw for the film. Seeing as how they’re both bankable leads with acting chops. It also helps that they each have high profile films that are coming out this year: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 starring Jennifer Lawrence, and Jurassic World starring Chris Pratt.