Penelope Cruz Eyes Reteam With Javier Bardem for 'The Counselor' (Exclusive)
Cruz is the frontrunner for a role in a gritty drama that will also star Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt.
Penelope Cruz may be reteaming with husband Javier Bardem for The Counselor, the drug drama from Cormac McCarthy and Ridley Scott.
The drama is one of the town’s hottest projects, partly due to the speed of it coming together, thanks in part to the star power associated with it. McCarthy surprised his agents earlier this year with not a new book but a script, which was quickly picked up by producer Nick Wechsler and Paul Mae Schwartz.
Scott then decided to make it his next project, bringing with him Michael Fassbender, with whom he had just finished Prometheus. Brad Pitt and Bardem also quickly hopped on the train.
The story, like McCarthy’s No County for Old Men is set along the Mexican border and centers on an attorney (Fassbender), a good man in need of money who decides to dabble in the cocaine trade. He teams up with a rich acquaintance (Bardem) for the new business that also brings in a shady type (Pitt). Things don’t go as planned in what is described as a dialogue-heavy, violent and racy script.
Cruz would play Fassbender’s love interest. The actress doesn’t have an offer yet but talks have taken place and one is expected.
There is talk of Angelina Jolie playing the enigmatic love interest but it is unclear how the actress would balance Counselor with Disney’s Maleficent, which she is supposed to begin shooting June in England.