Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) is the latest star to join the cast of the new Robert Zemeckis film. She will play a major part in the director's Marwencol adaptation and be sharing plenty of scenes with the lead Steve Carell (Anchorman), in what promises to be a fascinating telling of a true story.
Marwencol itself focuses on the life and work of artist and photographer Mark Hogancamp. On April 8, 2000, he was viciously attacked by a group of men outside a bar. It left him near death, but after nine days in a coma he was eventually discharged from medical care, albeit with some brain damage and memory problems. The way that Hogancamp dealt with his condition was to use his artistic skills to build a 1/6-scale Belgian town from the World War II-era. Meticulous in its detail, it even included miniature dolls of his friends and attackers. The name itself is fictional and comes from an amalgamation of the names "Mark," "Wendy" and "Colleen". The story became a focus of a 2010 American documentary directed by Jeff Malmberg.
Zemeckis' film will be a dramatized version of the events and was first announced back in 2013. THR reports that Christie is the latest addition to the cast, and will play Hogancamp's Russian caretaker, Anna. Hogancamp is being played by Carell, and other cast members already confirmed include Leslie Mann and Janelle Monae, as well as Diane Kruger (The Bridge). This adaptation will use elements from the 2010 documentary in its narrative, and Malmberg is one of the executive producers. with the project being co-written by Zemeckis and Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands).
Christie already has a loyal fan-base, with her spirited performance as Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones being a major factor in that. Her appearance as Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens amounted to little more than an extended cameo, but her role in The Last Jedi is reportedly much larger. At any rate it will be interesting to see her act opposite Carell in what undoubtedly will be some emotional scenes. For his part, Carell has proven his serious acting abilities in projects like Foxcatcher.
The presence of Mann, Monae, and Kruger all points to strong performances by the cast, and the non-fictional aspect of the plot means it should be fascinating depiction of the human spirit. Bearing in mind that one of the most recent offerings from Zemeckis was also based on a true-life event (The Walk), and the enduring success of his previous ventures like Back to the Future, his handling of the narrative should be solid and effective. We look forward to the film and will keep you up to date with any developments prior to its release.
Source: THR