Penelope Cruz Joins Ridley Scott’s ‘The Counselor’ – Set To Reteam With Pedro Almodovar

Adding to an already top-notch cast, Penelope Cruz has joined the likes of Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and her real-life husband, Javier Bardem, in Ridley Scott’s ‘The Counselor.’ While details are sparse, ‘The Counselor’ is said to follow a lawyer, simply named The Counselor (Michael Fassbender), who gets embroiled in the drug trade and ends up fighting for his life. Pitt is playing Westray, who helps Fassbender’s lawyer get hold of a $20 million stash of cocaine. Bardem is taking the part of Reiner, a criminal who brings The Counselor into the drugs trade. Diaz has supposedly taken the role of Malkina.

The screenplay for the film comes from one of my favourite authors, Cormac McCarthy, whose critically acclaimed books have been adapted into ‘No Country for Old Men, ‘The Road,’ and ‘All The Pretty Horses.’ ‘The Councelor’ is the Pulitzer Prize-winning authors first screenplay. Insiders are describing it as “No Country For Old Men on steroids.” Producer Steve Schwartz has said the following about the ‘The Counselor’: “Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with its sexual obsessions. It’s a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy’s wit and humor in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy’s most disturbing and powerful works.” Expect concrete details regarding ‘The Counselor’ soon, as Ridley Scott starts shooting in June.

In related news, it appears that Penelope Cruz is reteaming with Pedro Almodovar for a comedy titled ‘Los Amantes Pasajeros.’ Marking Cruz and Almodovar’s fifth collaboration, the actress would join the likes of Raúl Arévalo, Carlos Areces, Javier Cámara, Lola Dueñas, Cecelia Roth, Paz Vega and José Maria Yazpik in the film. The plot for ’Los Amantes Pasajeros’ is said to involve a love affair aboard an airplane. Cruz and Almodovar previously worked together on ‘Broken Embraces,’ ‘Volver,’ ‘All About My Mother’ and ‘Live Flesh.’