Peet Preps for 2012

Amanda Peet will be hunkering down as the female lead in Roland Emmerich's latest disaster epic, 2012

By Josh Grossberg Jun 13, 2008 3:25 PMTags
Amanda PeetLRRB & Co./WireImage.com

Amanda Peet is getting into disaster mode.

The Whole Nine Yards star has been tapped to play the female lead opposite John Cusack in helmer Roland Emmerich's latest big-screen apocalyptic adventure, 2012.

The film centers on survivors of a massive catastrophe who struggle to stay alive amid volcanic eruptions, glacier melts and typoons that threaten humanity's very existence.

Cusack's character is a divorced father and aspiring writer who makes his living as a limo driver. Peet will play his ex-wife, who recently married a very rich man. The cast also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men), Thandie Newton (Mission: Impossible II), Danny Glover and Oliver Platt.

The script was written by Harald Kloser and Emmerich, the director of such B-movie popcorn flicks as Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and, most recently, 10,000 B.C.

After playing Jack in the short-lived WB series Jack & Jill, Peet caught the attention of moviegoers when she appeared with Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry in 2000's The Whole Nine Yards. She landed roles in several notable features after that, including 2002's Igby Goes Down, 2003's Something's Gotta Give, and 2005's Syriana. Next up for the actress is a plum part opposite David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in next month's highly anticipated blockbuster sequel, The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Columbia Pictures has targeted 2012 for a July 9, 2009, release.