Oliver Stone has added three solid individuals to his upcoming film Savages. Deadline reports that John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Blake Lively have all signed on. The trio joins an already stellar cast that includes Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek and Benicio Del Toro. The film, which was picked up by Universal, is based on Don Winslow’s best selling novel.
The film centres on Kitsch’s and Johnson’s characters who are two best friends that are marijuana growers who get in serious trouble with the cartel. Blake Lively will play their girlfriend and Uma Thurman will be her mom. Hayek and Del Toro will play members of the cartel and finally, Travolta will take on the role of a DEA agent.
Superb cast if you ask me. Although with Lively joining, this means she’s out of the running for Glinda The Good Witch in Sam Raimi‘s Oz The Great and Powerful. Not sure which role would have been better for her but I don’t think she could have gone wrong with either. As for Thurman and Travolta, I’m sure fans of Pulp Fiction will be happy to see the two back together on screen again. Admit it, you’ve pushed Be Cool out of your mind.
As for Savages, casting isn’t done yet. Apparently Stone still has a few more key roles to cast before he begins production in June. When we hear more we’ll keep you posted.
Here’s the plot synopsis according to Amazon:
The future is looking good for Laguna Beach, Calif., marijuana growers Ben and Chon, until they receive an ominous e-mail from the Baja Cartel. Attached is a photograph showing the decapitated bodies of other independent drug dealers. The message is clear: sell your product through us or else. Ben and Chon try to resist, but matters escalate after cartel thugs abduct Ophelia, the guys’ beautiful young playmate and accomplice, and hold her for a cool million ransom. Meanwhile, Elena “La Reina” Sanchez Lauter, the leader of the Baja Cartel, must deal with rival drug gangs and potential overthrow from within. Ben and Chon propose a trade that Elena can’t refuse, setting the stage for the violent and utterly satisfying ending.