John Abraham has signed to star in a movie with Rachel Weisz, who won an Academy Award last year for her role in the film The Constant Gardener.
Deepa Mehta, who last directed Abraham in the Oscar-nominated Water, will direct the movie. The film titled Luna is about Julia Butterfly Hill and her fight to save the California Redwood tree.
Abraham’s role is that of an environmentalist who helped Hill during her almost 2 year battle to save a 1,000-year-old redwood tree. She lived in the tree, which she named Luna for 738 days to prevent it from being cut down. Hill, to be played by Weisz, not only saved the ancient tree but also prevented more old-growth forests from being available to the logging companies.
Securing American environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill’s approval for a relatively unknown Indian actor was critical to the movie, Mehta said. “She thought he looked like Antonio Banderas.”
“He has a full-fledged role opposite Rachel,” Mehta added and is said to be very excited about the project. This will be the first time a Bollywood actor will portray a lead character whose cultural origins have not been specified. In most Hollywood films a Bollywood actor has played an Indian character.
With the amazing casting of Rachel Weisz and John Abraham, with the script by two-time Oscar winner David Ward, and the direction of Deepa Mehta, this movie promises to be very interesting!
