Oscar winnerJ.K. Simmons(Whiplash) and two-time Emmy nomineeBetty Gilpin(GLOW) are in negotiations to joinChris Prattin the sci-fi thrillerGhost Draftfrom Skydance and Paramount, Collider has confirmed.
Chris McKay(The Lego Batman Movie) is directing the film, which hails from screenwritersZach DeanandBill Dubuque. The story takes place in a future where humanity is losing a war against aliens. To turn the tide, scientists draft soldiers from the past to fight the war. Pratt will play a man who must confront his past to save the world. Simmons is expected to play Pratt’s father, while details of Gilpin’s character are being kept under wraps.Yvonne Strahovski(The Handmaid’s Tale) will also co-star.
David Ellison,Dana Goldberg,Don Granger,Jules Daly,Adam KolbrennerandDavid Goyerare producing the film, which will go before cameras in September in Atlanta and Iceland.Rob Cowanwill serve as an executive producer on the project, which Skydance executiveMatt Grimwill oversee on behalf of the company. Skydance is financingGhost Draftand has developed the project from the outset, with Paramount onboard to distribute.
Gilpin has found herself in the spotlight this month, as not only didGLOWreturn for its third season on Netflix, but her upcoming Blumhouse thrillerThe Hunthad its release canceled by Universal in the wake of recent mass shootings. Gilpin recently co-starred in the Fox comedyStuber, and she also re-teamed with that film’s director,Michael Dowse, on the upcoming Netflix comedyCoffee & KareemstarringEd HelmsandTaraji P. Henson. Gilpin, who also stars in Sony’s reboot ofThe Grudge, is represented by ICM Partners and Anonymous Content, andVarietybroke the news of her casting.
Simmons won an Oscar for his performance in indie dramaWhiplashand will soon be seen alongsideChadwick Bosemanin STX’s crime thriller21 Bridges. He recently starred in the acclaimed Starz seriesCounterpartand Hulu’s revival ofVeronica Mars. He’s repped by Gersh, andthe Hollywood Reporterbroke the news of his casting.
