Waltz Joins Pattinson, Witherspoon at the Circus

Published by Jeff Leins on February 19, 2010

Christoph Waltz is joining the circus drama Water for Elephants, directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.  Sean Penn was originally attached to the role.

The story centers on Jacob Jankowski, a veterinary student during the Great Depression who leaves school and joins up with the Benzini Brothers’ “Most Spectacular Show on Earth.”  21-year-old Jankowski (Pattinson) falls in love with Marlena (Witherspoon), the beautiful equestrian star of the traveling circus.  Waltz will play Marlena’s abusive husband, August, a twisted animal trainer, according to Deadline.com.

Now that the three main roles are locked we only need to hear who is playing Uncle Al, the circus impresario from Sara Gruen’s best-selling novel.

The 54-year-old actor is a shoo-in for the “Best Supporting Actor” Oscar next month for his role as Col. Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds.  Before he was discovered by Quentin Tarantino, Waltz bounced around German television.  He’s also playing the villain in Seth Rogen’s The Green Hornet in theaters this December.

I can’t help but celebrate continued success for Waltz, who has proven to be humble and gracious on the awards circuit as he collected enough statues to play a full game of chess.  Hopefully he’s not typecast in sinister parts though (like Mark Strong) and his brand new Hollywood agent at ICM lands him a meaty drama where his range will be tested.