Jon Ronson’s interesting, albeit controversial, book "The Psychopath Test" is getting the big screen treatment soon and has landed the talented and beautiful Scarlett Johansson to star. Universal Pictures has set Jay Roach (MEET THE PARENTS) to direct with Kristin Gore (Futurama) is to pen the script. The non-fiction book explores the concept of psychopathy and the mental health industry itself. It raised a few eyebrows when it suggested that a lot of people who have gained success in life (CEOs and politicians) are likely psychopaths. Interesting choices here for the lead and director; I will be interested to see how this one is brought to the screen – I hope it will it be a dramedy of some sort.
A synopsis for Ronson’s book [via Amazon]:
What if society wasn't fundamentally rational, but was motivated by insanity? This thought sets Jon Ronson on an utterly compelling adventure into the world of madness. Along the way, Jon meets psychopaths, those whose lives have been touched by madness and those whose job it is to diagnose it, including the influential psychologist who developed the Psychopath Test, from whom Jon learns the art of psychopath-spotting. A skill which seemingly reveals that madness could indeed be at the heart of everything . . .Combining Jon Ronson's trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is both entertaining and honest, unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges.
Ron Howard continues to fill out the cast of INFERNO, the next Robert Langdon adventure starring Tom Hanks. Filming is a few months away but Howard’s Facebook went ahead and splashed some casting images for us to see. Omar Sy (THE INTOUCHABLES), Irrfan Khan (LIFE OF PI), and Sidse Babett Knudsen (Borgen) have signed on to co-star. Sy is set to play Christoph Bruder, Khan will play Harry Sims aka “The Provost”, and Knudsen will portray Elizabeth Sinskey, the head of the World Health Organization.
They join Hanks and previously cast Felicity Jones (as Dr. Sienna Brooks) in a story that finds Langdon waking up in an Italian hospital with amnesia and subsequently teaming up with Brooks to try and recover his memories. They also have to stop a madman from releasing a global plague connected to Dante’s Inferno, just in case you were worried about them slacking off.
Finally, Max Martini (PACIFIC RIM, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS) is in negotiations to join the cast of Michael Bay’s Benghazi thriller 13 HOURS. The film already has John Krasinski, James Badge Dale and Pablo Schreiber set to star in the movie that will recount the attack on the U.S. Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA Annex in Benghazi, Libya, on the 11th anniversary of Sept. 11.
Martini will play a member of the six-man security team that fought to defend the many Americans stationed at the compound. Sounds about right in terms of casting here, Martini is great at the hard-nosed routine. You might have seen him this past weekend as Christian Grey’s driver in FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, poor bastard.