Lately, Penélope Cruz has been flexing her comedy muscles, taking unlikely roles in “Zoolander 2” and “The Brothers Grimsby.” But it seems she’s got big Hollywood laughers out of her system, and she’s pivoting toward a project that’s more her usual cup of tea.
The actress has signed up to star in “Layover,” an adaptation of the book by Lisa Zeidner. Toni Kalem, who directed her debut feature “A Slipping-Down Life” way back in 1999, makes her second movie here, telling the story of Claire Newbold, a successful traveling saleswoman who decides to go on the lam from her life. A master of reinvention, Claire’s fierce, funny and falling apart. She develops elaborate scams for sneaking into hotel rooms, alone or with a guest, and a passion for swimming in their pools. A road movie of sorts, “Layover” follows this inventive and atypical heroine who goes off the deep end and has to find her way back to shore.
Like many projects you’ll hear about in the next couple of weeks, this one will be hawked at the Cannes market. No word yet on when cameras will roll.