Variety is reporting that Idris Elba (The Jungle Book, Bastille Day) is to take the male lead in Molly’s Game, the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs, The Newsroom).
Jessica Chastain (The Martian, The Huntsman: Winter’s War) is also on board the film, with the actress set to play Molly Bloom, “a beautiful, young Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally is her criminal defense lawyer (Elba), who learns that there’s much more to Molly than the tabloids lead us to believe.”
Producer Mark Gordon said on the news: “Working with Aaron once again has been truly rewarding, and we’re thrilled to have Jessica and Idris, two of the most talented actors in film today, coming on board. With the addition of Sierra/Affinity through our partnership with eOne, we have a best in class team in place to bring Molly Bloom’s riveting story to audiences.”
Sorkin added: “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.”
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