Up-and-coming Australian star Brenton Thwaites recently got a big break. After nabbing his role as the Prince in next year’s fairy tale movie Maleficent, he managed to land a lead role opposite Jeff Bridges in the screen adaptation of The Giver. The rights to  Lois Lowry’s dystopian tale about a future society that outlaws freedom and enforces the homogeneity of its masses  were given to Bridges about twenty years ago, but real moves to put the project into production didn’t begin until fall of last year. Bridges originally intended to have his father, Lloyd Bridges, take the titular role, but there proved to be too many obstacles to bring it to fruition at the time. Now it looks like things are really picking up for the sci-fi film, with the cast rounding out and Philip Noyce (Salt, The Bone Collector) set to direct.

Bridges will be playing the Giver, an older, powerful shaman figure that is the repository for all of society’s memories and acts as mentor to Jonas, to be played by Thwaites. Jonas is a young boy who is chosen to be the Receiver of these memories, subsequently allowing him to see all of the secrets and deceit behind this seemingly peaceful society. As the story goes on, he begins to desire freedom and honesty setting him apart from the emotionless, mindless community he grew up in.

A release date has yet to be announced for the film.