Christoph Waltz to play Mikhail Gorbachev in 'Reykjavik'

Last August we learned that Michael Douglas was set to play Ronald Reagan in Reykjavik, a film by Mike Newell(An Awfully Big Adventure) and written by Kevin Hood(Becoming Jane) that dealt with a precarious time in U.S./Soviet relations. Douglas' casting was already an unexpected move, but now we know who will play his Soviet counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev, and it's a choice that I think is equally inspired.

Christoph Waltz has signed on to play Gorbachev in the film, which for a time was one of Ridley Scott's numerous projects before Newell took over. The story follows an important few days in 1986 when Reagan and Gorbachev met at the titular Icelandic capital for a tense conversation to avert nuclear war. Waltz is turning out to be an unpredictable force on the screen, who can seemingly blend into any role he so chooses. He doesn't seem like an obvious choice to play Gorbachev, but does anyone think he'll totally tank in the role? Me neither.

So this is shaping up to be a major project with two incredible talents squaring off. Newell has been a little shaky of late, and his upcoming Great Expectations has been coolly received on the festival circuit, so maybe this will be the film that gets him back on the right track. [Variety]