Jane Got A Gun. In truth, a gun was about the only thing Jane seemed to own for an extended period of time. Over the last month or so, the film has undergone several internal shifts both in the acting and directing camps. First, we had the exit of Michael Fassbender, then, in a bizarre turn of events, the director Lynne Ramsay left the film after citing production problems which also prompted Jude Law’s departure, too. It’s been a bumpy four weeks for the Western, but now Deadline has reported that Bradley Cooper has been cast to steer the production back on track.
Scott Pictures, the film’s co-producing studio hopes the Oscar nominated actor will instil a sense of stability to the wayward project. Cooper will step directly into the role of the film’s antagonist and will act as the overarching threat for Natalie Portman’s titular Jane. The story itself is centred on Portman’s character who must seek assistance from her ex-lover in order to rescue her dubious husband from a malicious gang in the outback.
Newly appointed director Gavin O’Connor was reported to be searching for an actor with international appeal – in fact, early industry murmurs suggested that Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges were in contention for the villain. However, the casting of Bradley Cooper will surely provide the film with a much needed commercial boost. The star is one of the busiest actors in the industry at the moment and effectively elevated himself from pretty boy purgatory last year with his charismatic performance in Silver Linings Playbook. For a while, it seemed that Jane Got A Gun would collapse altogether, but hopefully the casting of Cooper is a sure sign the production is starting to find its feet creatively speaking. The film will also star Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton and Rodrigo Santoro.
Jane Got A Gun is slated for release sometime in 2014, you know, sparring any additional creative hitches.
Do you think Bradley Cooper is the man to rescue the film? Or do you think the film has become inadvertently cursed? Sound off in the comments below!