Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson to star in movie here
Jessica Biel and Patrick Wilson start shooting "The Blunderer" in Cincinnati on Nov. 17, the fourth major motion picture filmed here in 13 months.
A psychological thriller, "The Blunderer" was adapted from a novel by Patricia Highsmith. Cate Blanchett's "Carol" filmed here in April also was based on a Highsmith novel.
Biel's credits include "Valentine's Day," "Seventh Heaven, "The A-Team" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." She married singer Justin Timberlake in 2012.
Wilson has appeared in "The Conjuring," "A Gifted Man," "Insidious," "Fantastic Four" and "Watchmen."
"The Blunderer" will be directed by Andy Goddard ("Downton Abbey," "Once Upon A Time," "Dracula"). Christine Vachon (a "Carol" producer) and Ted Hope will produce it for Killer Films.
It will be "shot entirely in Greater Cincinnati," said Kristen Schlotman, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky Film Commission.
"The Blunderer" will be the fourth film here benefiting from Ohio's Motion Picture Tax Credit program. Nicollette Sheridan's "The Christmas Spirit" shot in Lebanon for the Hallmark Channel last October received the taxpayer subsidy, followed by "Carol" in spring and Don Cheadle filming his "Miles Ahead" movie about jazz great Miles Davis here in July and August.
" 'The Christmas Spirit' got us rolling at the end of last year, and we haven't stopped," Schlotman said.
Vachon said that her "great experience in Cincinnati" on "Carol" brought her back to town.
"The film commission, the rebate, locations, infrastructure and welcoming people of Cincinnati brought us back a second time within one year," Vachon said in the film commission announcement.
For a third time this year, Cincinnati's architecture will double for New York City. "Carol," based on Highsmith's "The Price of Salt," was set in early 1950s NYC. "Miles Ahead" was set in 1979. "The Blunderer" will take place in the early 1960s, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Highsmith also wrote "The Talented Mr. Ripley."
"The Blunderer," published in 1954, is a mystery about how a "young successful man's life unravels when his wife is found dead at the bottom of a cliff," according to the International Movie Database.
The Hollywood Reporter provided more plot details: "The story, set in early 1960s New York, follows Walter Stackhouse (Wilson), a successful architect married to the beautiful Clara (Biel), who leads a seemingly perfect life. But his fascination with an unsolved murder leads him into a spiral of chaos as he is forced to play cat-and-mouse with a clever killer (Toby Jones) and an overambitious detective, while at the same time lusting after another woman."
Jones, a veteran English actor, is best known as Claudius in "The Hunger Games" films. His credits include "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets."
Actress Imogen Poots ("Need For Speed," "Fright Night"), who is listed as a cast member on the International Movie Database, is not part of the project, Schlotman said. Poots was named in the May Hollywood Reporter story announcing the film.
Production offices are now open, Schlotman said. Filming is scheduled for five weeks, through Dec. 21.
"We are maintaining sustainable work for locals," Schlotman said in the media release. "We are also excited to have attracted and retained so many young people to Greater Cincinnati. This industry has had a tremendous impact on the local economy and we are excited to have repeat business with Killer Films. People come to Cincinnati and then want to return."
Schlotman said "The Blunderer" will "create hundreds of jobs and have a significant economic impact on our area. So far productions have spent $26 million dollars in direct impact on our economy prior to this production."
Yahoo Travel called Cincinnati a "celebrity hot spot" this summer due to all the filming and concerts here.
No release dates have been announced for "Carol" or "Miles Ahead."
News of the casting of Biel came Wednesday, along with numerous reports citing Radar Online that Biel and husband Timberlake are expecting their first child in April. Those reports have yet to be confirmed.
The film commission announced these emails for people interested in participating in the movie:
Extras: If you're interested in applying to be an extra, send a headshot and email to blundererextrascasting@gmail.com.
Crew: If you are interested in crew employment, and are qualified, send resume to blunderermovie@gmail.com.
Cars: If you have a period car from 1960 or prior, send contact info to blunderercars@gmail.com.
