LONDON — Welsh actor Luke Evans (“The Hobbit”) and Elisabeth Moss have joined the cast of Ben Wheatley’s “High-Rise,” which is being produced by Jeremy Thomas’ Recorded Picture Company.
As previously announced, other thesps include Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons and James Purefoy, as well as Wheatley’s regular players Reece Shearsmith and Peter Ferdinando, and comedian Dan Renton Skinner.
Screenplay, which is an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s thriller, is penned by Wheatley’s regular collaborator Amy Jump.
Evans is best known for his role as Bard in “The Hobbit” trilogy, and blockbusters such as “Immortals” and “Fast and Furious 6.” He will next be seen as the lead in “Dracula Untold,” and “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.”
Moss, who is best known for her role in “Mad Men,” won a Golden Globe this year for “Top of the Lake.” She has also appeared in pics “On the Road,” “Get Him to the Greek” and “Girl, Interrupted.”
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“High-Rise” is slated for a July start in Belfast, with Thomas producing through RPC. Financiers include Film4, the BFI Film Fund and Scope Invest Producteurs of Belgium, with support from Northern Ireland Screen.
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The worldwide rights to the film have been acquired by HanWay Films. Manuel Chiche’s new company The Jokers has picked up the rights for France, and Studiocanal will distribute in the U.K.
Wheatley is considered one of the U.K.’s best young directors, having created a stir with his provocative films “Sightseers,” “Kill List” and “A Field in England.” Wheatley recently completed shooting on the new season of “Doctor Who” for the BBC.
“High-Rise” centers on a new residential tower built on the eve of Margaret Thatcher’s England, at the site of what will soon become the world’s financial hub. Designed as a luxurious solution to the problems of the city, it is a world apart.
Hiddleston plays Robert Laing, a young doctor seduced by the high-rise and its creator, the visionary architect Anthony Royal (Irons). Laing discovers a world of complex loyalties, and also strikes up a relationship with Royal’s devoted aide Charlotte (Miller).