Susan Sarandon likes rolling up her sleeves and getting involved in thorny political issues. And Charlize Theron’s never been one for shying away from speaking her mind. So it’s not shocking that they’re both signing up for Battle In Seattle, which will take a docu-style stare into the lives of several characters caught up in the Seattle protests of 30 November 1999.
The day saw between 40,000 and 60,000 people forcing the World Trade Organisation’s meeting in Seattle to halt as they expressed concerns about the power of corporations, globalisation and the problems of ordinary working people. There were some violent clashes between police and protestors, and the movie will chronicle the likes of Lou (Theron), a pregnant bystander who loses her child during the trouble and Sarandon’s newscaster, who supports the demonstrators and has trouble with her boss pumping up her reports for ratings.
Chris Evans is also negotiating to jump aboard and behind the camera will be a young, first-time writer-director who was lucky to snag his leading ladies. Oh, hang on… It’s Stuart Townsend. So not that much luck, then, as he's Theron's main squeeze. He’ll start shooting in Vancouver and Seattle late next month.
