There have been a ton of changes to Collateral Beauty over the months, both in front of and behind the camera, but it speaks to the story's potential that it has always boasted A-list talent. Initially to star Hugh Jackman and Rooney Mara for Alfonso Gomez-Rejon to direct, they all dropped out in relatively quick succession. David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) entered talks to direct the film a months ago, while Will Smith stepped in for Jackman. The cast continues to take shape with the addition of four huge stars, including one who was nominated for an Oscar just this morning.
Rachel McAdams, Oscar nominee for Spotlight, is in talks to join Collateral Beauty, while Ed Norton, Naomie Harris, and Michael Pena are officially on board. Whoa. The story is penned by Allan Loeb and centers on a New York ad exec (Smith) who experiences a personal tragedy and enters a deep depression. So his friends come up with an unusual plan to break him from his funk, only to have it work in an unexpected way.While Frankel remains a director who is tough to get excited about, the cast he'll be working with is incredible. Production is set to begin next month. [TheWrap]
