The speculation is starting early this week, with this Monday morning tidbit thatJennifer Lawrencemay be “orbiting” (original verb used in relation to this story) a role inRed Sparrow. The Fox movie is an adaptation ofJason Matthews’ spy novel, and will be directed byFrancis Lawrence, who also directedThe Hunger Games: MockingjayParts 1 and 2. According toDeadline, the role is being specifically developed for Jennifer Lawrence, although it wasoriginally offeredtoRooney Mara, back whenDavid Fincher(of course) was interested in it (Darren Aronofskyalso was interested in the movie for awhile). In another JLaw connection,Justin Haytheis being brought in to rewrite a script byAmerican Hustle’sEric Warren.
Here’s a synopsis for Red Sparrow:
In present-day Russia,ruled by blue-eyed, unblinking President Vladimir Putin, Russian intelligence officer Dominika Egorova struggles to survive in the post-Soviet intelligence jungle. Ordered against her will to become a “Sparrow,” a trained seductress, Dominika is assigned to operate against Nathaniel Nash, a young CIA officer who handles the Agency’s most important Russian mole.
Spies have long relied on the “honey trap,” whereby vulnerable men and women are intimately compromised. Dominika learns these techniques of “sexpionage” in Russia’s secret “Sparrow School,” hidden outside of Moscow. As the action careens between Russia, Finland, Greece, Italy, and the United States, Dominika and Nate soon collide in a duel of wills, tradecraft, and—inevitably—forbidden passion that threatens not just their lives but those of others as well. As secret allegiances are made and broken, Dominika and Nate’s game reaches a deadly crossroads. Soon one of them begins a dangerous double existence in a life-and-death operation that consumes intelligence agencies from Moscow to Washington, DC.
Of course, Jennifer Lawrence would be badass in the role, if she ends up taking it (and if not, it may not be the only chance to re-team with the the other Lawrence — the two are also potentials for theJames Cameron-produced movieThe Dive). Although frankly,Red Sparrowkind of sounds like the Black Widow movie that will probably never get made because studios don’t believe there is an interest in it. So, we’ll see if this changes anything.
