Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page and Liv Tyler are set to star in "Super," a superhero comedy by James Gunn who will direct the film, variety reports.Wilson, who last worked with Page in "Juno," plays an average guy who takes on the pseudo-superhero alter ego of the Crimson Bolt, after watching his wife (Tyler) fall under the spell of a charming drug dealer. Lacking super powers, he compensates by swinging a trusty wrench. James Gunn talked about the project on his site saying:
My new film Super was announced in Variety this morning; Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, and Liv Tyler are set to star. I have never loved a screenplay more than Super and have been working on it for years. Rainn and I have been working together on the project for a few months now – Rainn will be playing the lead role of Frank D’Arbo who dresses up as a superhero called the Crimson Bolt; he’s got no superpowers other than a pipe wrench. Rainn and I both worked hard to get the best possible folks involved. We were lucky to get Ted Hope to produce – he’s done such movies as Happiness, The Ice Storm, The Savages, American Splendor, and 21 Grams. This is not a wacky, over-the-top comedy. Super is a dark, comedic, gritty, very unusual, and grounded film and I think Ted is just the guy to help us get it done right. Being that this is a low-budget, independent movie that takes a lot of risks, Rainn, Ted, and I didn’t really expect to get big names for the other cast members — so you can imagine how shocked we were to get our first choices for the two female leads – Ellen Page and Liv Tyler! They’re both amazing actresses and awesome people and I can’t wait to work with them!! Liv will be playing Sarah, Frank’s wife, who leaves him for a drug dealer, and Ellen will play the role of Libby, a young sociopath who dons a costume and forces herself into Frank’s life as his “kid sidekick.” The score will be composed by my pal Tyler Bates (300, Watchmen, Dawn of the Dead, Slither) and PG Porn seamstress Mary Matthews will be doing the costumes.
Okay, so, yes, this is a movie about superheroes. But what it’s really about is love, violence, perseverance, and faith. It’s not a spoof. It’s an examination of what it means to try to be something more than human. I think of it as The Passion for rebels, oddballs, fanboys, and freaks everywhere. I’ve never been more excited or committed to any project in my life, and I can’t wait to share more with you all. We still have a couple of big roles we’re casting, and lots of other Super news upcoming.
