Byrne joins Cage in 'Knowing'

By Gregg Goldstein

March 4, 2008, ET

NEW YORK -- Rose Byrne has landed the lead role opposite Nicolas Cage in the sci-fi thriller "Knowing" for Summit Entertainment and Escape Artists.

Byrne will play the daughter of a woman who buried a 1962 time capsule bearing the dates of the assassinations of historical figures, the hotel fire death of the wife of a professor (Cage) and an imminent world apocalypse. After the professor discovers its contents and alerts her, the initially skeptical Byrne begins remembering strange incidents from her childhood.

Alex Proyas ("I, Robot") will direct the screenplay by Ryne Douglas Pearson, with script revisions by Juliet Snowden, Stiles White, Stuart Hazeldine and Proyas. Escape's Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black and Steve Tisch will produce with Topher Dow. Norm Golightly and David Bloomfield are exec producers.

Summit will fully finance and distribute the film, with Erik Feig and Jean Song overseeing the project for the studio. Production is set to begin March 25 in Melbourne, Australia.

Byrne is repped by CAA and Australia's RGM Management.

Byrne joins Cage in 'Knowing'

By Gregg Goldstein

March 4, 2008, ET