Cameron Crowe’s looking to get back to his youth. No, he hasn’t splashed out on a new car or anything, but he’s cast Patrick Fugit, who played a character very much based on Crowe’s own young self in Almost Famous, in Crowe's new movie, We Bought A Zoo.
Fugit has joined the pic alongside Elle Fanning, who has snapped up the role of Lily. While there are no details of what character Fugit is playing, Fanning’s will be a 13-year-old who works illegally for cash as a waiter in the restaurant at the wildlife park where the film takes place. When writer Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), his wife Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) and son (Colin Ford) take over the place, she quickly forms a bond with Kelly, and learns to appreciate the animals that reside in the decrepit park. And she also develops a big crush on the son…
Crowe has re-written Aline Brosh McKenna’s script, itself based on Mee’s book, which saw the former Guardian columnist and his family move into the park to restore it to its former glory while also dealing with Kelly’s struggle with cancer.
With Thomas Haden Church also part of the cast, Crowe aims to start shooting early next year for a December 2011 release.