Diane Kruger Joins Robert Zemeckis, Steve Carell Drama

Diane Kruger is joining Steve Carell in Robert Zemeckis' untitled drama based on the the 2010 documentary Marwencol, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The drama will follow Carell as a man who builds a tiny World War II-era village using action figures and dolls, all of whom represent his real-life alter egos, as a way to cope with a violent assault. The project is being marketed as "one broken man's fight as he discovers how artistic imagination can restore the human spirit." 

Kruger, who recently won the Best Actress Award at Cannes for her turn in In the Fade, is set to play Deja Thoris, the Belgian Witch of Marwen who, in one of the recurring scenarios playing out in Carell's character's head, resurrects his alter ego when he is killed by Nazis. The rest of the cast includes Janelle Monae and Eiza Gonzalez as two of the other women in the village and Leslie Mann as a real-world woman who is interested in learning more about Carell's hobby.

Kruger, who got her start in Troy, has since made a name for herself appearing in films like National Treasure, The Host, and Disorder. She received awards season buzz for her role in Inglorious Bastards and also recently moved over to the small screen for The Bridge. Her other upcoming roles include the biopics JT Leroy and Butterfly in the Typewriter, as well as the French-language film Tout nous separe.

Zemeckis will direct the untitled Marwencol drama based on a script he co-wrote with Caroline Thompson; he will also produce. Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, and Cherylanne Martin also produce. The movie is aiming to start production in the fall, but there is no word yet on a release date. While we wait, see some of the other movies that will blow you away this year.