Martin Scorsese may not have locked in the finance or a distributor for his next, an adaptation of The Invention Of Hugo Cabret, but he’s close to hiring the first couple of cast members, negotiating with Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley to play key roles.
Hugo Cabret, of course, will be based on Brian Selznick’s gorgeous kids’ adventure about a 12-year-old orphan living in the walls of a Parisian train station in the 1930s and trying to keep his father’s inventive legacy and memory alive.
If he signs, Cohen would play the station’s inspector, while Kingsley – who has just worked with Scorsese on Shutter Island – is close to the role of real-life French silent film-maker George Melies, who plays a key part in helping Hugo reach his ambitions.
There’s no exact start date yet, though Scorsese is believed to have pencilled May to kick off production.
**Update: **The site has just thrown in two extra casting names: The Boy In The Striped Pajamas' Asa Butterfield as Hugo and pint-sized Kick Ass co-star Chloe Moretz as Isabelle, his female best friend.