Rooney Mara, seen here as Lisabeth Salander in ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’

Stephen Daldry, director of the drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, is set to start on a new project based on Andy Mulligan’s 2010 novel Trash. It was announced back in spring of 2011 that Daldry would be making a screen adaptation of the book. Now, it looks like the project is well on its way to production with Rooney Mara, Martin Sheen, and Brazilian actor Wagner Moura joining the cast.

Trash centers on the story of three young orphan boys living in an unnamed third world country. In order to survive without family or home, the boys pick through garbage dumps on the outskirts of the city. One day while picking through the garbage, they find a small leather bag containing a wallet with money, an ID, a folded-up map, and a key. Trouble ensues when the police offer a reward in exchange for what they found and the boys decline. Soon after, they find themselves coming up against both the government and the corporate world as they try to unravel the mystery behind the bag.

The script was written by Richard Curtis (Love Actually) and the protagonists – Raphael, Gardo, and Rat, will be played by newcomers Rickson Tevez, Eduardo Luiz, and Gabriel Weinstein. Sheen is set to play Father Julliard while Mara will be playing NGO worker Olivia, both characters the boys meet along their journey.

Shooting should begin soon, and the film is set to release in May of 2014.