Momentum continues to build for Tate Taylor’s adaptation of The Girl on the Train – and it hasn’t even left the station yet. With Emily Blunt, Jared Leto, Haley Bennett and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘s Rebecca Ferguson all in place, it’s understood that Justin Theroux is the latest star to be added to the burgeoning ensemble cast.
Stepping into the role left vacant by Chris Evans – the Avengers star had been in line to play an ex-husband in the thriller, though scheduling conflicts forced him to bow out – Theroux will portray the role of Tom, an instrumental figure in the life of the title character. Based on Paula Hawkins’ acclaimed page-turner, Emily Blunt leads the charge as a dreamy commuter named Rachel, who imagines a life around who she believes to be a happily-married couple, one she admires on her daily trip to and from work.
Living an idyllic life nearby the train tracks, the pair – or Jess and Jason as Blunt’s protagonist refers to them as – appear to have their affairs in order, but the innocuous soon turns into the alarming and when Rachel lays eyes on an unspeakable event that unfolds in the house, and she becomes irrevocably involved in the crime case that it spawns.
The Girl on the Train is rife with dramatic potential for both Blunt and her supporting players, and we have a feeling Taylor’s big-screen rendition will be one to keep an eye on as we move into 2016.
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?