Reese Witherspoon to Star in Astronaut Drama ‘Pale Blue Dot’
Reese Witherspoon is looking to leave the disappointment of Hot Pursuit in the dust, and is attached to star in Pale Blue Dot, an astronaut drama just picked up by Fox Searchlight.
The actress, who was nominated for an Oscar for her drama Wild, will also produce with her partner Bruna Papandrea.
Written by Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi, the script centers on a married astronaut who returns to Earth after a mission and begins an affair with a fellow astronaut. She heads into a downward spiral as she loses her connection to her family, a condition that can afflict those who spend a long time in space and see how microscopic the world is, and when her lover begins another affair with an astronaut trainee, the bottom drops out.
The tone has been described as having shades of Foxcatcher and The Right Stuff, the 1983 drama about the original Mercury 7 astronauts.
It is said to be inspired by a true-life astronaut love triangle in which a female mission specialist tried to kidnap a rival in 2007. The story made national headlines and inspired an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
The project has been brewing since the winter, when Bennett Miller was circling as a director, although he never committed.
Brown and DiGuiseppi wrote Uncle Shelby, a biopic script focusing on author Shel Silverstein. The script made the 2014 Black List, the annual ranking of best unproduced screenplays.
– THR