Aisling Bea, the Irish actress and BAFTA TV winner, has joined the cast of Starman , The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.
Bea joins the cosmic sci-fi thriller starring Oscar winner Brendan Fraser ( The Whale, The Mummy ) and two-time Emmy winner Jeff Daniels ( Dumb and Dumber, The Newsroom ). Emmy winner Josh Wakely ( Beat Bugs ) is directing from his original screenplay. Starman is currently filming in Australia.
The film follows Tom Adams (Fraser), an architect of the future who launches a historic expedition to Mars, positioning himself at the forefront of humanity's next great frontier. But when unforeseen events strand him millions of miles from Earth, his mission becomes an urgent race against time — driven by survival and love. Related Stories Movies Andy Garcia's Starry L.A. Noir 'Diamond' Lands at Sony Pictures Classics Movies 'Pressure' Review: A Superb Andrew Scott Faces Off Against Brendan Fraser in a Tense D-Day Drama
Bea will play Julia Hanley, a defiant and magnetic Irish photographer who sees past Tom's world-changing ambition to the man beneath it, ultimately redefining his life through love.
The 42-year-old is best known for creating, writing, producing and starring in the comedy series This Way Up , which earned her a BAFTA TV Craft Award for Breakthrough Talent. The stand-up comedian most recently starred opposite Nick Frost in the folk-horror comedy Get Away . Her additional film credits include Greatest Days , Love Wedding Repeat and Home Sweet Home Alone .
Bea recently completed a sold-out run of her UK and Ireland stand-up tour, Older Than Jesus , with additional dates to be announced. She will next be seen in Netflix's adaptation of Marian Keyes' Grown Ups .
Starman is a Grace: A Storytelling Company production, produced by Eddie Vaisman of Sight Unseen — who also produced last year's Rental Family , starring Fraser — alongside Wakely and Rebecca Graham of Grace: A Storytelling Company. Executive producers include David S. Goyer ( Batman Begins ), Tarek Sherif, Ryan Graves, Matt Tedder and Sight Unseen's Julia Lebedev. The film is financed by Sherif, Graves and Tedder. Anton is handling international sales after launching the project at the Marché du Film during this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Starman is also supported by the NSW Government through Screen NSW's Made in NSW Fund.
Bea is repped by CAA and UK-based Independent Talent.