Amy Adams May Talk To Aliens For Denis Villeneuve’s Story Of Your Life

By Nick Venable | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

amy adamsAnnounced back in late 2012, FilmNation Entertainment and Lava Bear Films’ planned adaptation of the short story thriller Story of Your Life has been one of our more anticipated projects, as it should prove to be one of the most unique big-screen tales in recent years. And if we all keep our fingers crossed and dance in a circle while repeating the “special chant,” Amy Adams will be the star to put her acting chops to work bringing this story to reality. That is, if she’s not filming Superman movies for the next 15 years.

Adams is in early talks to join the film, which already has a super-talented director in Denis Villeneuve, who has had a really strong year with his recent thriller Enemy gaining praise even from the people who didn’t go gaga over his kidnapping mystery Prisoners. He’s a guy that knows how to deliver tense cinema, and Adams is a great choice for a lead, though she hasn’t made anything quite like this before.

The Hugo Award-winning Chiang won the Nebula Award and the Sturgeon Award for “Story of Your Life,” published in 1999, which centers on Dr. Louise Banks, who is in the unique position when the military brings her in to respond to a group of aliens who have made first contact. It isn’t easy, of course, as the aliens’ spoken and written languages are completely different, with the less-verbal communication a clue to both the aliens’ existence and some of our own Earthly concepts. And all the while, Banks is reminded of her dead daughter.

It’s up to screenwriter Eric Heisserer to turn this story into something that people can grab onto, unless the goal is to make a slightly opaque cinematic experience, as with Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin. But Heisserer isn’t exactly known for penning flicks that are rich with subtext, as he wrote the remakes for A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing, as well as writing and directing the “Paul Walker vs. a Disaster” flick Hours from last year.

Adams’ presence would definitely give this indie thriller some (admittedly sexy) legs to stand on, as she is coming off of a huge 2013, in which she received her fifth Oscar nomination for her work in David O. Russell’s crime drama American Hustle. She also took on the iconic role of Lois Lane for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and half-dated a male operating system in Spike Jonze’s Her. She’ll next be seen as artist Margaret Keane in Tim Burton’s dramatic biopic Big Eyes, and in Andrew Levitas’ depressing-sounding drama Lullaby.

I’m going to write a letter to these aliens to tell them to tell Adams to be damned sure and make this flick. In the meantime, dive into the actress’ cleavage in the American Hustle promo below.