It appears nearly set that Idris Elba will join the cast of Molly’s Game, film written and to be directed by Aaron Sorkin. Jessica Chastain (The Martian) is already attached for the lead role in film based on the memoir by Molly Bloom. The film will be the feature directorial debut for the Oscar winning Sorkin. Sorkin won an Academy Award for penning The Social Network and recently picked up a Golden Globe for his script for Steve Jobs.
Molly’s Game offers an intriguing premise and a potentially bait role for Chastain. Bloom was a young, one-time Olympic-level skier who for a decade oversaw the poshest high-stakes poker game before meeting her fate one night at the hands of 17 FBI agents. Bloom’s clientele included luminaries in the field of Hollywood, sports, business…and the Russian mob. Elba is slated to portray Bloom’s defense attorney and nearly lone ally.
Sony, who previously collaborated with Sorkin on The Social Network (and nearly did on Steve Jobs), was once in charge of Molly’s Game but is no longer involved. While distributor-less in the present, the pedigree both behind and in front of the camera will certainly make an attractive sale and the film looks to be a major commodity at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival marketplace. Sorkin commented on his cast by stating: “The casting of Jessica and Idris in the two lead roles is any filmmaker’s dream come true. They’re two of the greatest actors of their generation, paired for the first time, and their chemistry will be electric.”
For Elba, a recent Screen Actors Guild and Indie Spirit Award winner for last year’s Beasts of No Nation, the film marks another hopeful place for the actor the showcase his talent. Currently, he can be heard (but not seen) in the Disney smashes The Jungle Book and Zootopia. More voice work continues as Elba is featured in Pixar’s upcoming Finding Dory. He will next be seen in the anticipated spectacle Star Trek Beyond and is currently shooting The Dark Tower alongside Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey.
Leave a Comment