Matt Bomer, Lucy Griffiths, and Eva Marie Saint join Akiva Goldsman's 'Winter's Tale'

For an Oscar-winning screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman faced some initial hurdles getting his adaptation of Winter's Tale off the ground. For all his scripting cred, he was totally unproven as a director, and the studio wasn't totally sold that Mark Helprin's religiously tinged fantasy novel could connect with viewers. So Goldsman cut the budget, dialed up a couple of superstar buddies in Russel Crowe and Will Smith, and now everything's good to go.

Already set to star Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, and William Hurt, with Crowe and Smith making cameos, the cast has now been filled out by Matt Bomer(Magic Mike), Lucy Griffiths(True Blood), and screen legend Eva Marie Saint(North by Northwest).The time-bending story is set in both 19th century and modern day Manhattan, following a petty thief who falls in love with the sickly daughter of a rich man while robbing their home. While that sounds fairly tame, there's also a flying horse guardian angel and a 100-year time shift.  I figure that time shift explains why Bomer and Griffiths are playing Farrell's parents. Saint's "pivotal" role is being kept hidden for now.

While I'm no big fan of Helprin or his book, I'm curious to see what Goldsman can do stepping behind the camera for the first time. He's definitely got the star power to make Winter's Tale work. Production begins next month. [Deadline]