Wachowski Siblings and Tom Tykwer to Film 'Cloud Atlas'

News about the film adaptation of David Mitchell's novel "Cloud Atlas" is sending shivers of anticipation. A reported $100 million epic production of the multinarrative work of fiction will be co-written and co-directed by Andy & Lana (formerly Larry) Wachowski with German filmmaker Tom Tykwer.

The trio of influential filmmakers held a conference for buyers and distributors at the Cannes Film Festival, revealing that filming is set to begin in September of 2011, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Warner Brothers will release the film about six stories that entwine the past, present and post-apocalyptic future. The big budget epic boasts an A-list cast, with Tom Hanks signed to star alongside Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon and Jim Broadbent.

Also cast in the film are Wachowski regular Hugo Weaving and Tom Tykwer collaborator Ben Whishaw. Weaving made his mark as Agent Smith in the Wachowskis' "Matrix" trilogy and as the revolutionary V in "V for Vendetta." Tykwer cast Ben Whishaw in his breakthrough lead role in "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer."

British author David Mitchell published "Cloud Atlas" in 2004 and it has since won the British Book Award for Literary Fiction and was short-listed for the Booker Prize, Nebula Award and Arthur C. Clarke Award. The cast will perform multiple roles; as Mitchell explained, "All of the characters except one are reincarnations of the same soul, identified by a birthmark."

Mitchell also described "Cloud Atlas" as a book about the predatory nature of humans, whether as individuals, groups or nations. "The New Yorker" review of Mitchell's book described its themes as "the ease with which one group enslaves another and the constant rewriting of the past by those who control the present."

The film promises a vividly imagined adaptation by Tykwer, whose films "Run Lola Run" and "Perfume" left audiences with unforgettable experiences. Tykwer alone could write and direct a thrilling adaptation, but collaborating with the Wachowski siblings adds an epic level to the project.

An ensemble cast that includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent and Susan Sarandon implies that the filmmakers have a strong vision for "Cloud Atlas." These are not actors that sign up for just any script or hop on board with any director just to get work. While Hugo Weaving would probably work on anything the Wachowski siblings make, he certainly carries his own weight as an actor. This is equally true for Ben Whishaw and his work with Tom Tykwer.

On FilmSchoolrejects.com, Nathan Adams described "Cloud Atlas" like Darren Aronofsky's sci-fi fantasy, "The Fountain" squared. The novel's characters offer a challenge to boggle any casting director. There's a notary on a 19th century voyage to Polynesia, whose diary is discovered by an impoverished musician in 1931. Letters from the musician are found by a journalist in 1975 who is investigating corruption at a nuclear power plant. The journalist's story is mysteriously adapted into a manuscript, which is mailed to a modern day publisher. The unfolding turmoil of the publisher's life is adapted into a movie being watched by clone in the near future. The clone's rebellious actions are then relayed around a campfire by a post-apocalyptic tribesman in Hawaii.

The Wachowski/Tykwer collaboration will certainly give Tom Hanks perhaps his most challenging role in some time.