Rooney Mara Claims Terrence Malick’s ‘Lawless’ Won’t Shoot Until September; Michael Sheen Reveals Role In Untitled Romance

Rooney Mara’s status as one of the fastest rising young actress in Hollywood isn’t in question after her universally praised performance in David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. However, it may be perplexing for some to learn that she doesn’t really have any project lined up next. Although she was previously reported to have been cast in Terrence Malick’s Lawless, the actress seems a bit uncertain about her own involvement. She told EW:

“[Lawless is] something that I hope to do, but it’s unfortunately not until September, so it’s a ways away.”

Assuming Mara has the correct date, this would mean that Malick’s other project Knight of Cups, starring Christian Bale, will shoot first in June, followed by Lawless in September. FilmNation previously announced that the two films would shoot back-to-back. Nonetheless, the actress is excited to work with Malick:

“He’s one of the great filmmakers out there. After working with David [Fincher], it’s really hard—the bar has been set at sort of an unreachable height. I want to work with people who have a vision and who are uncompromising in the way that they make films, and Terry is one of those people. He’s incredible. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever come into contact with.”

Meanwhile, let’s not forget about Malick’s other project, the untitled romantic drama starring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams, which has been described by production designer Jack Fisk as the “Tree of Life on steroids”. The film is currently in post-production and could very well see a 2012 release. Michael Sheen discussed a small part he has in the movie with Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo (via The Playlist):

“My girlfriend [McAdams] was in a film that Terrence Malick did so I went to visit her on set, and apparently, if you’re an actor and you turn up on a Terrence Malick set, he asks you to be in his film. So I got to be Ben Affleck’s boss for a day.”

That’s a pretty awesome anecdote although I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. Malick is notorious for leaving bit characters on the cutting room floor and even Jessica Chastain, who starred in The Tree of Life, doubted that her small role in the film would make the final cut.

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