Blake Lively was an interesting and inspired choice for Steven Soderbergh’s thriller SIDE EFFECTS. Best known for her work on CW’s GOSSIP GIRL, Lively is actually much better than the show she comes from. Her work in THE TOWN was especially impressive.
Well, Deadline says she’s no longer part of Soderbergh’s film after financier Annapurna Pictures shot down her casting. While it’s a bummer (especially for Lively herself) the production has already found a replacement: Rooney Mara. Mara just had a great year, of course, having starred in THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, a role that landed her an Oscar nomination and heaps of praise.
Mara will play Emily Hawkins, “a woman who turns to prescription meds to cope with the anxiety of the upcoming release from prison of her husband” played by one of Soderbergh’s new favorites, Channing Tatum. Also in the film will be Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Production on SIDE EFFECTS begins in April. In their story, Deadline also mentions that the deal with Annapurna is looking a little “shaky”. Perhaps there will be more shake-ups to come. Stay tuned.
While Blake was great in The Town and The Secret Lives of Pippa Lee, she is less that mediocre in Green Lantern, The Sisterhood movies and Gossip Girl. She great in small parts but when she has to carry a bulk of a film it’s too much for her. She isn’t likable enough on screen!