Alexander Payne Goes For Downsizing

With Witherspoon, Giamatti & Baron Cohen

Alexander Payne Goes For Downsizing

by Helen O'Hara |
Published on

Why, it's enough to bring a tear to the eye: Alexander Payne is reuniting with his Sideways star Paul Giamatti and his Election star Reese Witherspoon for Downsizing, a story about people shrinking in size. And then they're adding in Sacha Baron Cohen for good measure. Think Honey, I Shrunk The Kids but for grown-ups.

The plot sees Giamatti play a man low on money who decides that life would be a lot cheaper and easier if he underwent a procedure to shrink himself. Travelling through life as a tiny person, he meets a girl (Witherspoon) and a pint-sized foreigner (Baron Cohen).

But things are not locked in yet: Payne is still finishing work on the screenplay, along with writing partner Jim Taylor, and won't conclude his cast's deals until that's done. He's hoping to shoot the film with Fox Searchlight, but the special effects required may push the budget out of their realm. So things are tentative now, but promising. Let's hope this happens.

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