Red Sparrow Movie Casts its Nate Nash

Red Sparrow, the debut novel from former CIA officer Jason Matthews, was one of the best spy novels of recent years. Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) has long been attached to play Russian double agent Dominika Egorova in the movie version, but now the other lead is close to being cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty) "is in early talks" to play CIA agent Nathaniel Nash. Hm. Edgerton is a talented actor, but in my opinion all wrong for that role. He's 42, which seems too old to be playing a young CIA hotshot on his first tour of duty, and, with 16 years on her, too old to establish a credible chemistry with Lawrence, which will be crucial to the movie's plot. Frances Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) directs.