Last September, word emerged that Bryan Cranston was looking to add a biopic of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo to his cinematic CV with **Trumbo. The film’s producers are now looking to score Helen Mirren’s services as Trumbo’s wife, Cleo.
**Hitchcock **provided yet more evidence of the magic Mirren can weave when she’s given a compelling female character to play and while a lot less is known about Cleo Trumble, it’s a fascinating, real-life story that has Jay Roach attached to direct John McNamara’s script.
It’ll be based experiences of Trumbo, who was locked up in 1950 for refusing to answer questions before the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The panel was obsessed with rooting out suspected communists in Hollywood and for his stance, Trumbo was blacklisted and refused work. He managed to score assignments under various pseudonyms, but it wasn't until **Spartacus **in 1960 that he got public credit for his work again.
Variety reports that the film has yet to find a distributor and doesn’t have a set production date yet, so it’s still floating in limbo for now. But if Mirren does officially join the cast, it would be a healthy step in the right direction. She’ll next be seen in culinary family drama The Hundred-Foot Journey, which is set for release on September 12.