Eric Bana Is a Time Traveler
By Louis in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 18, 2007 6:30PM
Today, New Line announced the cast for the upcoming film adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife. Genetically gifted/cursed, Henry DeTamble, will be played by Eric Bana (Incredible Hulk, Troy) and his wife, Clare Abshire, will be Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Wedding Crashers).
The rights to the book were purchased by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston's Plan B production company back in 2003. At the time the studio was in discussions with Gus Van Sant to direct the film, but it seems that is has now gotten the big-budget treatment and will be directed by Robert Schwentke (Flightplan). Additionally, the book was originally adapted by Jeremy Leven (The Notebook), but has now been re-written by Bruce Joel Rubin (Deep Impact, The Last Mimzy). In other words, the film has gone from being a well-crafted film to a summer blockbuster. I just hope that we get some Terminator-esque time travels and some major explosions a la Deep Impact; maybe they will add Henry traveling to the future, and the robots have taken over, and he has to lead the resistance.
Rachel McAdams has been rumored to be the first choice for Clare since the beginning, with some rumors stating that the rest of the movie was cast around her.
There was no announcement of where the movie will be filmed when they begin rolling in September. However, it seems it would be hard to shoot anywhere other than Chicago with the Newberry Library and the Aragon Ballroom playing key roles, and most of the book taking place in Chicago or in other parts of the Midwest.
We aren't entirely sure about the casting since we associate McAdams with Regina George in Mean Girls, and we had kind of imagined Kate Winslet and Christian Bale in the leading roles. Bale has that tortured soul thing going for him from Batman and The Machinist, and he will already be in Chicago. What about you Chicagoist readers — do these characters fit your mental image of Clare and Henry as you cried yourself to sleep finishing the book?