Samantha Morton and Woody Harrelson have joined the cast for Oren Moverman’s directorial debut, The Messenger. Moverman was co-writer of the brilliant and heady Bob Dylan biopic I’m not there along with Todd Haynes. One of my favorite movies from 2007, it was unfairly overlooked at the award ceremonies. But then it was too offbeat for the Academy’s tastes. Moverman last worked on the screenplay of Married Life, directed by Ira Sachs. The Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper starrer was quite well-reviewed but forgotten soon.

The Messenger has been described as a poignant, life-affirming drama. IMDB’s synopsis says that it is about an American officer who faces an ethical dilemma after he gets involved with the widow of a fallen officer. It sounds interesting and the cast looks good. British thesp Morton is fresh from her success in Control, the story of Ian Curtis, the Joy Division frontman. She has recently worked in Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. Her next release is Synecdoche, New York, the directorial debut of maverick screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation). It is premiering in the competition section at Cannes’08. Previously she has acted in Jesus’ Son, written by Moverman.

Ben Foster and Eamonn Walker have already been cast for the movie. Moverman is working with first time script writer, Alessandro Carmon on the project.

(Source: Reuters/ Hollywood Reporter)

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