movies

Movie News

Christoph Waltz is no Freud

'Inglourious Basterds' star Christoph Waltz, who this week won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, has inked a deal to play a psychopath in 'Water For Elephants'.

Before signing on for the film, he had to withdraw from David Cronenberg’s 'The Talking Cure', which would have seen him play Sigmund Freud. Production on the Freud film is due to start in May.

"You’d have thought Waltz wouldn’t want to be typecast as a sadist," a filmmaker told Deadline London, referring to Waltz's role as the Jew-hunting Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds'.

"Waltz’s departure left the producers scrabbling for a replacement. There were fears they would have to scrap the German/Canadian co-production completely. Happily, Viggo Mortensen, who worked so memorably with Cronenberg on 'Eastern Promises', has just replaced Waltz," the publication wrote.

'The Talking Cure' is based on the play by Christopher Hampton, and revolves around the conflict between Freud and his pupil Karl Jung.

With Mortensen taking on the role of the renowned psychologist, Michael Fassbender will be portraying the role of his pupil Jung. Keira Knightley will play Sabina, a disturbed young woman brought to see Jung by her father. Jung and Sabina have an affair, and the producers are promising lots of "spirited sex".