The cast of the buzzy American Ultra continues to grow today as Deadline reports that Topher Grace has joined Lionsgate’s upcoming comedy. Set to star Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, with Walton Goggins and Uma Thurman signed on to co-star, the film was picked up earlier this year for a whopping $7M. That, combined with a script from Max Landis (Chronicle), leads us to believe that American Ultra is definitely a project worth keeping an eye on.
Behind the camera for this outing will be Nima Nourizadeh, who brought an exciting energy level to the party flick Project X. This film will be a bit different though, as it centers on Eisenberg’s small-town stoner who sees his and his girlfriends’ (Stewart) life turned upside down when a government operation puts a bounty on his head. Grace will be playing a “hotshot, power-hungry CIA agent,” who is presumably one of the men trying to wipe Eisenberg out.
Going off the premise alone, American Ultra doesn’t exactly sound like the next best thing since sliced bread (though its price tag would have you think that), but it’s still easy to see why Lionsgate would be excited about it.
For one, Eisenberg and Stewart proved to be a successful pairing in Adventureland and since then, they have both seen a significant rise in fame, which will no doubt help with those box office receipts. Then, as I mentioned, there’s the Max Landis script. Landis is one of the hottest writers in Hollywood right now and his talents are very in demand. Add to that a supporting team that consists of Grace, Thurman and Goggins, and you should be able to figure out why Hollywood has high hopers for American Ultra.