Just as one depressing ad man’s story comes to an end, another rises from the ashes: Variety reports that Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, director of Sundance indie tearjerker Me And Earl And The Dying Girl, has signed on to direct Collateral Beauty, with Hugh Jackman and Rooney Mara set to co-star. The story takes place in New York and follows “a man whose life is flipped upside down after experiencing an incredible tragedy that sends him down a path of deep depression.”
Jackman is likely thrilled to be playing someone that isn’t Wolverine, having tried to ditch the role recently only to let the character’s claws sink back into him “one last time.” Given that Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Side Effects) seems to jump at roles that allow her to sulk relentlessly, she’s probably also whatever it looks like when she gets excited. The two will first appear together in the upcoming Pan, Warner Bros.’ Peter Pan story that hits theaters October 9.
Collateral Beauty was written by Allan Loeb and is being produced by Michael Sugar of Anonymous Content, but doesn’t yet have a distributor or financier. However, now that Gomez-Rejon is attached, the film should find a home pretty quickly—Me And Earl And The Dying Girl is currently making critics and film festival attendees weep left and right, so a collective reaching for the wallets is surely soon to follow.