Emily Blunt has signed on to play the lead role in the adaptation of the best-selling thriller novel Girl On the Train and is set to be joined by Rebecca Ferguson.
According to Pop Sugar, the movie will be the next Gone Girl and The Help ‘s director Tate Taylor is signed on to helm the adaptation. Fans of Paula Hawkins’ novel will are in for a treat. The movie will tell the tale of Emily Blunt’s character, Rachel, who is the protagonist and an alcoholic who is heavily grieving the loss of her failed marriage. She soon becomes obsessed with the seemingly perfect life of a couple that she can see having breakfast as she passes their home during her commute everyday. However, one day she believes she witnesses something sinister in the household and when one half of the couple goes missing she becomes involved in the unfolding mystery.
Ferguson is set to play the role of the former mistress and current wife to Blunt’s ex husband; whose role has yet to be cast. Ferguson has launched her career into overdrive with her recent role in this summer’s Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Dubbed as a fan favorite for the Breakout Actor of Summer 2015, Rebecca Ferguson certainly held her own alongside Tom Cruise in the summer blockbuster and this new role is a testament of exciting things to come in the actresses future.
The movie will see a change of location from the the book and instead of being in the United Kingdom will be shot in New York. However, Hawkins has no complaints when it comes to the move and has stated that anywhere with that kind of small town commuter vibe should still be identifiable. Despite the trend of authors becoming involved with the silver screen adaptations of their novels, Hawkins will play no role in the writing of the script. The Daily Mail writes that she is content to let the professionals handle it.
“I don’t want to be involved… let them get on with it.”
Rumors that Kate Mara, who played Susan Storm in the box office flop that was this summer’s Fantastic Four, will be playing the female half of the ‘perfect couple’ has yet to be substantiated. The character, Megan, imagined by Blunt’s character Rachel as ‘Jess’ in the fantasy has yet to be officially cast as well as her husband.
The rights to the film was purchased by Dreamworks before the novel was even published and it may just pay off. The Girl On the Train spent a whopping 13 weeks at number 1 on the New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2015 when it was published in January. In fact, the novel debuted at number 1 and received similar success in the UK, spending a record making 20 weeks at the top of the UK hardback book chart.
It is unclear as to when the movie will go into production, but the film has been slated for release sometime in 2016.
[Photo Courtesy of Grant Lamos IV/ Getty Images & Paulahawkinsbooks.com]