With Will Smith aboard to anchor the film and Alec Baldwin also part of the cast, director Peter Landesman has been busy scouting for other actors to appear in his new, untitled drama about the controversial work on head injuries in America’s National Football League. He has now recruited Albert Brooks and has Gugu Mbatha-Raw in talks.
The film, which also boasts Ridley Scott as a producer, is adapted from Jeanne Marie Laskas’ GQ article Game Brain. The piece followed Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist who made the crucial first discovery of concussive head trauma in an NFL player and strove to bring awareness of the problem to the general public.
Smith is on as Omalu, while Brooks will be Cyril Wecht, the chief forensic pathologist who mentors him and encourages him to spread the word about the head injuries and their effects on players. Omalu’s actions led to a $765 million settlement from the NFL after it finally acknowledged the problem. There’s no word on who Mbatha-Raw might be playing.
Brooks will next be seen in J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year alongside Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. He’s also part of the voice casts for Pixar’s Nemo sequel Finding Dory (due next year) and Illumination Entertainment’s still-untitled pets ‘toon, which is scheduled to arrive in 2016. Mbatha-Raw, last seen in Belle, has indie drama Beyond The Lights, thriller** The Whole Truth** and sci-fi action pic** Jupiter Ascending** all awaiting release next year.