In something of a golden age for TV drama, AMC’s “Mad Men” stands gloriously at the front of a very impressive pack. Only the same channel’s “Breaking Bad” can compete with it, but the Matthew Weiner-created show has a Great American Novel sweep to it that makes it feel somehow more significant, with writing and direction that frequently comes close to being transcendent. As we eagerly await movement on a fifth series of the show, the program’s uniformly excellent cast are starting to make waves on the big screen.
Jon Hamm turned in an excellent performance in “The Town,” and is being linked to every high-profile leading man gig in town as a result, while the show’s other stars are popping up everywhere: John Slattery in “Iron Man 2” and “The Adjustment Bureau,” Elisabeth Moss in “Get Him To The Greek,” January Jones in “X-Men: First Class,” Christina Hendricks in “Drive” and Vincent Kartheiser in Andrew Niccol‘s “Now.”
Word’s come in, via The Hollywood Reporter, that one more of the show’s alumni has joined another high-profile project, with the news that the excellent Rosemarie DeWitt has signed on to Peter Hedges‘ fable “The Odd Life of Timothy Green.” The actress, best known for the title role, opposite Anne Hathaway, in Jonathan Demme‘s “Rachel Getting Married,” played Don Draper’s would-be-bohemian mistress Midge in the first series of the show, and will take on the role of the sister of Jennifer Garner‘s character in the project.
Following a couple who find their wish for a child granted in an unusual way, after they bury their wishes for a baby in a box in their back garden, the actress joins Garner and Joel Edgerton (“Animal Kingdom“), who’ll play the latter’s husband, in the project, along with young actor Cameron Adams and DeWitt’s real-life husband Ron Livingston, who signed on to the project last week.
Furthermore, veteran Dianne Wiest, who can currently be seen killing it alongside Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart in the excellent “Rabbit Hole,” is also in negotiations for the project, to play the role of Garner’s employer. It’s a very promising line-up, and, while writer-director Hedges has a patchy track record (“Pieces of April“? Fairly decent. “Dan In Real Life?” Not so much…) we’re interested to see how this one turns out. Shooting starts in Georgia on January 31st, for a targeted release before the end of the year.
