"Man of Steel" actor Kevin Costner is in talks to join Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut "Molly's Game" opposite "The Martian" actress Jessica Chastain and "Pacific Rim" actor Idris Elba. "Entourage" actor Sorkin also penned the script based on the memoir of Molly Bloom.
According to Variety, Costner would play as Bloom's eponymous father in "Molly's Game." Chastain will play the titular character Molly Bloom. Elba will play as Bloom's criminal defense lawyer.
"Molly's Game" centers on a young, charismatic Olympic-class skier Bloom. Bloom failed to make the Olympic team, so she decided to take a year off before law school and get a job as a waitress in Los Angeles. She ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade.
In the plot of "Molly's Game," Bloom's life comes crashing down when she was arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, and business titans as well as, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally Elba is aware that there is much more to her than the tabloids, Deadline reported.
Gordon said that "Molly's Game" is a very human story. It is a character piece and a transformation of going from a young woman about to go to law school but got sucked up into a wonderful, horrible opportunity of running a card game in Los Angeles.
"Criminal Minds" producer Mark Gordon and "Ghostbusters" producer Amy Pascal will produce "Molly's Game." "Zoo" executive producer Leopoldo Gout is also on board to executive produce it. The Mark Gordon Company and Entertainment One (eOne) will be financing it.
Costner can be seen next in Fox 2000's "Hidden Figures" drawing early buzz and possible awards-season play for him in the supporting actor category. He is represented by WME, attorney Ryan Nord, and Rod Lake.
"Molly's Game" aims to start shooting in December. It is directly distributed by eOne in Canada, the UK, Australia/New Zealand, Benelux and Spain. Sierra/Affinity represents all other international territories outside of the U.S.
Watch the video of Jessica Chastain eyeing lead in "Molly's Game":