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The Schmooze

Ari Folman Lines Up Star Cast for New Project

Fresh off this week’s announcement of one international project, Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman is signing up A-listers for another.

The director of 2009 Oscar nominee “Waltz With Bashir” is putting together the cast for his first Hollywood movie, a sci-fi thriller called “The Congress.”

The film’s new cast members reportedly include Harvey Keitel and Paul Giamatti, the latter of whom won a Golden Globe last month for playing the prickly Jewish protagonist in “Barney’s Version.” The pair will star alongside Robin Wright, with the film set for release next year or in 2013.

While few details about the film have been made public, Folman seems like an obvious choice to direct. Movie Web site Slashfilm.com reports that “The Congress” will mix live-action sequences with animation, a combination that Folman put to searing use in “Waltz With Bashir.”

Unlike that earlier film, which focused on Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the new movie is purely fictional, and will be based on “The Futurological Congress,” a dystopian drama by “Solaris” author Stanislav Lem.

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