Oscar Isaac is joining forces with Steven Spielberg. The “Star Wars” and “X-Men” actor is currently in talks to star in the director’s “The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara” for Amblin Entertainment.
Isaac will star opposite Oscar-winner Mark Rylance, a Spielberg favorite recently (“Bridge of Spies,” “The BFG”), in the religious drama. Spielberg would shoot “Edgardo” in the first quarter of 2017 after he finishes “Ready Player One.”
Tony Kushner is adapting the script based on David Kertzer’s novel.
“Edgardo Mortara” tells the story of a young Jewish boy in Bologna, Italy in 1858 who, having been secretly baptized, is forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents’ struggle to free their son becomes part of a larger political battle that pits the Papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification.
Isaac’s role in the film, produced by Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, isn’t known.
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Spielberg has been attached to “Edgardo” for some time. According to insiders, he decided to make it his next movie after “Ready Player One” after being impressed by Kushner’s script.
In addition to high-profile tentpoles, Isaac’s impressive resume includes heralded indies like “Ex-Machina,” “A Most Violent Year” and “Inside Llewyn Davis.”
His 2015 included the HBO limited series “Show Me a Hero,” which, despite his Emmy snub, won him a Golden Globe in January. He next stars in Terry George’s “The Promise,” which is looking at a possible festival run in the fall.
Isaac also recently wrapped production on Alex Garland’s “Annihilation” as well as “Star Wars VIII”, both of which open in 2017. He is repped by UTA and Inspire Entertainment.
