Deadline brings word that Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon is set to play the female lead in the upcoming satirical sci-fi film Downsizing, reuniting the star with Election helmer Alexander Payne.
Downsizing, already set to star Matt Damon, tells the high concept story of a man (Damon) and his wife (Witherspoon) who, deciding that their lives have gotten out of hand, decide to voluntarily have themselves shrunk down. Unfortunately for the man, his wife backs out at the last minute.
Witherspoon, who is in theaters now in both Jean-Marc Vallée’s Wild and in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, actually joined an earlier attempt at Downsizing back in 2009 when Paul Giamatti was attached to play the lead. Although only 5’1″ in real life, Witherspoon has some acting experience being larger than life: she voiced the 49 1/2 foot tall Ginormica in DreamWorks Animation’s 2009 animated family adventure Monsters vs. Aliens.
Payne, who most recently directed Nebraska, scripted Downsizing with Jim Taylor, with whom he also wrote Sideways and About Schmidt. Plans call for production to begin on Downsizing following Damon’s soon-to-shoot return to the Bourne franchise.
Sacha Baron Cohen (Hugo, The Dictator) was also previously cast for a dual role back in 2009. Whether or not the plan is still to have him appear remains to be seen, but check back for details as soon as they become available.
