Paul Giamatti In Talks For David Cronenberg's 'Cosmopolis'

What's better than having one new David Cronenberg film to look forward to? (The Dangerous Method, now in post-production.) How about another David Cronenberg film that seems to be coming together fast?

We've known that the director had lined up Colin Farrell and Marion Cotillard for an adaptation of Don DeLillo's novel Cosmopolis. Now he reportedly has Paul Giamatti in talks to appear, as well.

The Playlist reports that the actor is in active discussions, but his reps say no deal has been made at this point. I'll take that for now, since it means that Cosmopolis, unlike so many other possible David Cronenberg projects (such as The Matarese Circle) is moving forward.

Who would he play? We have no concrete info at this point, but the book is about Eric Packer, a 28-year old billionaire who encounters odd characters and situations as he travels across midtown Manhattan in his luxurious stretch limo to get a haircut from his father's old barber. Colin Farrell plays Packer, Marion Cotillard plays his wife, and there are only a few other active characters. Mr. Giamatti might be one of a couple men stalking Packer, a 'pastry assassin' or another shadowy threatening figure. Or there may be changes and additions to the script which would cast him as someone else altogether.

David Cronenberg is also reportedly planning an adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's novel As She Climbed Across the Table, but we know very little about that project. The author recently deadpanned, "David Cronenberg seems to want to make a movie of one of my oldest books, As She Climbed Across the Table, and that's fun..."