Michelle Pfeiffer To Play Chris Pine's Mom In Welcome To People

When directing your first film, it's usually filled with actors nobody has ever heard of, but most directors don't kick off their career by writing the scripts behind Mission: Impossible III, Transformers and Star Trek. I am, of course, referring to Alex Kurtzman, who is currently in pre-production for his feature directorial debut, Welcome To People. The writer-cum-director has already lined up a stellar cast that includes the likes of Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Olivia Wilde and now he's added another name.

EW reports that Michelle Pfeiffer has joined the cast of the drama and will play the mother of Chris Pine's character. In the film, Pfeiffer's estranged husband dies and when her son, comes home, a major secret is uncovered: he has a sister (played by Elizabeth Banks). He is then charged to bring her a $150,000 inheritance. Production is scheduled to begin next week and the film will be released in 2012.

From a cast and logline standpoint, this movie sounds like it could be really great. Provided that the tone isn't too erratic and it never sinks into melodrama, there's a lot of potential here. Let's hope that Kurtzman can successfully make a movie without giant robots, spies or lasers.