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Tomorrowland Adds Judy Greer Just In Time To Begin Production

By Brent McKnight | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

Judy GreerThere are a ton of high-profile science fiction film projects in various stages of the production process, and Disney’s upcoming Tomorrowland is one title that is high on that list. Brad Bird’s (Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, The Iron Giant) second live-action directorial effort, is one of the most anticipated films of 2014. The credits have now grown by one more name, and the production has finally kicked off in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Judy Greer, Kitty from Arrested Development, among other things, is in talks to join the team. This would reunite her with George Clooney—both appeared in The Descendents in 2011, and Three Kings in 1999. At the moment there is no word on what the particulars of her character will entail, but Greer is currently hard at work on the set of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and set to star opposite Nat Faxon in a comedy series of FX.

There aren’t a ton of details known about celebrity screenwriter Damon Lindelof’s (Star Trek Into Darkness) script, either, but we know a little. The story supposedly revolves around the Tomorrowland portion of the theme park at Disneyland, which Lindelof hopes to give its own narrative, much like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies did for that attraction. It has also been compared to Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, though more in terms of the family drama aspect of the plot than for anything having to do with an alien invasion.

Secrecy is nothing new for Lindelof. You don’t work with J.J. Abrams as often as he has if you’re prone to blurting out random plot details and big reveals. He and Bird have teased bits and offered glimpses here and there, and we know a something of the key players. Clooney will play Frank Walker, a gruff, surly inventor; Hugh Laurie (House) is the film’s villain, named David Nix; newcomer Raffey Cassidy as Athena, a robot central to the plot; and Under the Dome’s Britt Robertson recently joined as the female lead.

A frequent user of twitter, Lindelof tweeted this:

He then followed up that message with this picture from set the next day:

From his 140 character public declarations, it would seem that production was intended to yesterday, Friday, August 9. That’s a reasonable assumption given the information he put out into the world, but here’s the thing, both Bird and Lindelof appeared today at Disney’s D23 expo in Anaheim, where Tomorrowland played a key part. Then again, flying back and forth isn’t particularly uncommon for Hollywood folks, especially considering the size of the production, and the fact that D23 is a pretty big deal. It is entirely possible that they went to Vancouver, got the ball rolling, flew back for D23, and are heading back North.

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