It seems like a very good time to be either January Jones or Diane Kruger.

For Jones, her ongoing role as Betty Draper on "Mad Men" has given her one of the best-written women's roles in either film or television, and she's more than proven up to the challenge over the course of the three seasons of the show so far.  She is the best example of the archetype of the suburban housewife on the edge of madness that I've ever seen, and I think she manages to bring real nuance and depth to the role, week after week after week.

For Kruger, her introduction to Hollywood was a rough one.  The role of Helen in "Troy" was chased by every actress in town, but the film was a stiff, and Kruger seemed really overwhelmed by the size of the production.  She's been in the "National Treasure" movies since then, but for the most part, she seemed like she was being boxed in, given eye candy roles that had no substance at all.  That seems to have changed, though, due to her sensational work as Bridget Von Hammersmark in this summer's surprise hit "Inglourious Basterds."

Now the two of them are going to co-star opposite Liam Neeson in "Unknown White Male," a new thriller from Dark Castle and Warner Bros that is set to be directed by Jaume Collet-Sera, whose most recent film "Orphan" divided audiences, but which has been a subject of conversation almost continuously since it came out.

According to Variety, "Story centers on a man who awakens from a coma to find that someone else has assumed his identity, and no one, including his wife, believes him. With the help of a young woman, he sets out to prove who he is.  Jones will play Neeson's wife, who gets caught up in a conspiracy regarding her husband. Kruger will play a Berlin taxi driver and Neeson's unexpected ally. Jaume Collet-Serra will direct from a screenplay penned by Oliver Butcher, Stephen Cornwell and Karl Gajdusek."

The film starts shooting in January, meaning we'll most likely see it around this time next year.

Congrats to both ladies for making the most of the moment they find themselves in.  They've both proven themselves to be really smart and interesting performers, and I hope this film is worthy of the chops they've been exhibiting in their recent work.

 

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