Christopher Walken, Mia Farrow & Selma Blair Join The Cast Of Todd Solondz's 'Dark Horse'; First Details On The Plot

With this year's "Life During Wartime" proving to be not only a worthy follow-up to its predecessor 1998's "Happiness," but also director Todd Solondz's best film since then, we were glad to hear a few weeks back that the not-exactly prolific helmer was moving forward on another project. "Dark Horse," described as an 'edgy character drama,' was first revealed when we talked to Solondz earlier in the year, and recently, while no details on the plot leaked out, Aasif Mandvi ("The Daily Show"), Justin Bartha ("The Hangover") and theater veteran Jordan Gelber were rumored to be appearing in some form.

Now, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed all of the above, and has not only announced further casting on the project, but also the first details on the plot. Gelber, Mandvi and Bartha are being joined by Christopher Walken, Mia Farrow and Selma Blair (the latter a veteran of Solondz's "Storytelling,") along with Zachary Booth ("Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist") and Donna Murphy ("Spider-Man 2").

Gelber will take the lead role, a thirtysomething man still living with his parents (Walken and Farrow), who seeks out a relationship with a woman in a similar state of arrested development (Blair) in an attempt to shed his label as the dark horse of the family. Bartha and Booth will play, respectively, the protagonist's brother and cousin, while Mandvi will be Blair's ex-boyfriend, and Murphy will be Walken's secretary.

It's a typically eclectic Solondz cast, but a promising one (how is it that Walken and the director have never worked together before? They seem like a perfect match...). It certainly seems to match Solondz's promise when we spoke to him earlier in the year that "It's not designed to be controversial. There's no rape,there's no child molestation, there's no masturbation, and then I thought 'Oh my god, why didn't I think of this years ago?' Stories take on an unpredictable life."

It certainly seems to have the potential to have more crossover appeal than anything in Solondz's career, but we can't imagine he'll water down his sensibilities too far. Filming kicked off in New York this week, so we guess we'll see the fruits of the labor around film festival season next fall.

>>> Christopher Walken, Mia Farrow & Selma Blair Join The Cast Of Todd Solondz's 'Dark Horse'; First Details On The Plot >>>

Justin Bartha May Join Aasif Mandvi in Todd Solondz's New Drama, 'Dark Horse'

When we last spoke to Todd Solondz earlier this year about the making of his latest, "Life During Wartime," the indie filmmaker told us about his upcoming new picture, "Dark Horse."

Unfortunately at the time, the director could not divulge details about the plot, nor could he reveal the actors he was in discussions with, but as a hint, he did say, "I'm not saying [it's a] gentler [picture], but I don't think it's controversial," he said. "It's not designed to be controversial. There's no rape, there's no child molestation, there's no masturbation, and then I thought, 'Oh my god, why didn't I think of this years ago?' Stories take on an unpredictable life."

But, a few details have emerged via Production Weekly's Twitter. The outlet says that "The Daily Show" correspondent Aasif Mandvi and TV/theater actor Jordan Gelber ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Avenue Q.," "All My Sons") have joined the cast and that actor Justin Bartha (the straight man in "The Hangover.") is in discussions to join them. The film is described as -- what else -- an "edgy character drama," and well, that's about all we know at this point.

When we last spoke with Solondz he told us the film was planning to shoot this fall and now that the cast is filling out, it's probably safe to say he's still on schedule. If you missed it during its brief, limited release theatrical run, "Life During Wartime," should still be available OnDemand via IFC. "Dark Horse" likely won't arrive at least until late 2011 at the earliest.

>>> Justin Bartha May Join Aasif Mandvi in Todd Solondz's New Drama, 'Dark Horse' >>>