John Boyega seems to be the actor of choice lately for roles in movies about taking down an evil empire—not only is he he’s starring as a disillusioned Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but he’s just been cast as one of the leads in the film adaptation of Dave Eggers’ The Circle. Deadline reports that Boyega will play Ty, the wunderkind founder of The Circle, a Facebook-like company (but way more sinister) that initially appears harmless enough by encouraging its users to “go transparent” because “sharing is caring.”
Boyega joins Emma Watson and Tom Hanks in the cast; Watson is set to play protagonist Mae Holland, a new employee and convert of The Circle who forms a relationship with Ty. Hanks’ role remains unknown, but he’s an old hand at Eggers film adaptations by now; he just starred in and produced A Hologram For The King, which will be released later this year. James Ponsoldt (The End Of The Tour) is writing and directing the film and, in a move that would probably please the book’s Three Wise Men, Hanks will produce through his Playtone Entertainment company.
