The prospects for screenwriter Alex Kurtzman‘s directorial debut, the drama “Welcome To People,” continue to rise with actor-writer-director Mark Duplass now joining a cast which already excitingly boasts Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Based on a script by Kurtzman, usual partner-in-crime Roberto Orci as well as Jody Lambert, the film follows the story of a twenty-something business man (Pine) who, after the death of his father, must deliver $150,000 in cash to the alcoholic sister (Banks) he didn’t know he had, and her son, a 12-year-old with major anger management issues. The man doesn’t want to part with the money but still reaches out to them without telling them who he really is. Wilde plays Pine’s girlfriend and Pfeiffer his mother, with Duplass set to portray a neighbor who takes a romantic interest in Banks’ character.
The project has been much talked about, coming up in a recent THR Actress Roundtable conversation where it was revealed Amy Adams and Hillary Swank had been circling the sister role. It’s buzz like that that has us fairly excited about the project — in addition to the cast Kurtzman has conjured up — but we’re still slightly wary: these are the guys behind the first two ‘Transformers‘ films.
Duplass, meanwhile, has been juggling his acting and directing careers and this upcoming year is no different: he’ll pop up in Lynn Shelton‘s untitled latest project with Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt and in Lawrence Kasdan‘s “Darling Companion” alongside the illustrious likes of Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest, Richard Jenkins and Sam Shepard. He also has his latest directorial effort “Jeff Who Lives At Home” with brother Jay, starring Jason Segel and Ed Helms currently in the editing suite.
Lensing on “Welcome To People” is scheduled to begin this month.
