Sharlto Copley, breakout star of the Oscar-nominated film District 9, is in talks for the sci-fi thriller I Am Number Four. D.J. Caruso is directing while Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay produce.
British actor and Beastly star Alex Pettyfer is already set to play the lead character, John Smith, in a story about nine aliens who disguise themselves as high school students in Ohio after a rival species destroys their home planet.
According to THR’s Heat Vision blog, Copley will play Smith’s adult guardian and mentor, but was once a member of the race’s servant class.
The young adult novel was co-written by controversial author James Frey, and adapted for the screen by “Smallville” writers Al Gough and Miles Millar. The book, due out on August 17, is part of a planned series of six that may become another franchise for DreamWorks.
It’s hard to believe the South African actor had never starred in a feature until last August’s sleeper hit. Now he’s one of the four members of the A-Team adaptation and “toplining” a movie for Spielberg and Bay. What a wild ride that must have been. He was great in it, so it’s good news to hear him landing more Hollywood roles. (Side note: It’s still fun to write “Oscar-nominated film District 9.”)
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