After wading through Development Hell for a while, drama remake The Gambler got a boost recently when Mark Wahlberg signed on to star and Rupert Wyatt considered directing. Now Brie Larson is in talks to co-star alongside Wahlberg.
According to Deadline, it’s still early days for Larson’s possible involvement, as she’s only talking about a role. But considering how her career has been going recently – there’s awards chatter about her performance in Short Term 12 – she’d be a big win for the movie. Larson’s not the only potential recruit: Jessica Lange is being courted to jump aboard too.
The Departed’s William Monahan wrote the new iteration of the script, which was penned for the original 1974 version by James Toback. The Gambler follows a literature professor whose gaming addiction lands him in trouble with his girlfriend, his family and, possibly most dangerously, some nasty gangsters.
Short Term 12 premiered at the London Film Festival and is out on November 1. Larson’s also worked on Basmati Blues and short film **Bitter Orange **recently.