Henry Cavill Will Take A Break From Punching Things With 'The Rosie Project'
Henry Cavill is good at punching things. Really good. So good he has to c**k his fists to reload. Now, despite already having a very busy schedule that includes Chad Stahelski's Highlander reboot and Matthew Vaughn's spy flick Argylle, he's signed onto a project where he gets to be more subdued.
Deadline reports that he is set to star in The Rosie Project, a romance film about a university professor who can't seem to find love and comes up with an unusual strategy to get it.
A Change of Pace for Cavill
Pretty much the only break Cavill's gotten from punching things was sitting down to read The Witcher to all of us. He's portrayed a superhero from another planet, secret agents, and a magical beast-hunting warrior, but now he gets the chance to play something completely new to him: someone who can't get a date.
The Rosie Project is based on the bestselling 2013 novel by Graeme Simsion. It follows Don Tillman, a genetics professor who creates an elaborate questionnaire he calls the Wife Project to find his perfect partner. The 16-page survey should filter out drinkers, smokers, late arrivers, and anything else that doesn't gel with Don's orderly nature. Then he meets Rosie, a woman who drinks, smokes, and is never on time. The two embark on an adventure to find Rosie's biological father together, and more develops between them. Despite being the opposite of what he was looking for, Rosie might be exactly the kind of woman Don needs.
Directors and stars alike have been circling The Rosie Project for years now. Before signing on to direct Solo: A Star Wars Story, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were almost set to develop and direct. Then TriStar signed Jennifer Lawrence and director Richard Linklater (Everybody Wants Some!!), but Lawrence dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and Linklater followed. At one point, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds was in talks for the lead role.
Between The Witcher, the aforementioned Highlander and Argylle flicks, and Netflix's Enola Holmes 2, Cavill is set to be one busy man in the next few years. Maybe this change of pace will let him show off his acting chops a bit more, and maybe give those beautiful arms a rest.
Production on The Rosie Project is expected to begin in 2022. Steve Falk, who worked on TV's Weeds, will write and direct. Matt Tolmach and Michael Costigan will produce.