Actress Jessica Chastain cast as Tom Cruise's love interest in new sci-fi film

Film to be directed by "TRON: Legacy" helmer Joseph Kosinski

By HitFix Staff Tuesday, Sep 27, 2011 12:33 AM

Jessica Chastain will have her head in the clouds in new Tom Cruise sci-fi

Jessica Chastain at the London premiere of "The Debt"

Credit: AP Photo/Jonathan Short

Seriously, where in god's name did Jessica Chastain come from? Just a year ago no one had even heard of the red-headed actress, and now suddenly she's everywhere.

In her latest Hollywood coup, the rising star (and possible Actress/Supporting Actress Oscar contender for the above-mentioned films) has booked the role of Tom Cruise's love interest in a new sci-fi project from "TRON: Legacy" director Joseph Kosinski, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The sci-fi/romance takes place in an apocalyptic future where the majority of Earth's inhabitants, including Chastain's character, now live in the clouds. Cruise is playing the lead role of an Earthbound repairman tasked with working on drones that have been built to fight off aliens. When he meets a woman who seems to have crash-landed on the now-barely habitable planet, he is forced to reexamine everything he knows.

The untitled project has been called both "Oblivion" and "Horizons" at various stages of its development. Kosinski originally conceived the story as a graphic novel with the help of writer Arvid Nelson and artist Andree Wallin.

In addition to "Take Shelter", Chastain will next be seen in "Texas Killing Fields" opposite Sam Worthington and Chole Grace Moretz. The films hit theaters on September 30th and October 14th, respectively.