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Antonio Banderas has signed on to star alongside a stellar ensemble for Woody Allen’s next film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Allen’s next film has not yet been given a title, but a start date for shooting and a distinguished cast have already been lined up. Academy Award nominees Naomi Watts and Josh Brolin, along with Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins and Slumdog Millionaire’s starlet Freido Pinto and already on-board. Shooting for the film is going to be in London.

This marks another entry in the trend of non-New York based movies for Allen lately, notably Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I feel like getting out of New York has re-established Allen as a premier filmmaker. Sometimes you can get so over-saturated by your surroundings that you become complacent and lose your drive. Most of Allen’s recent entries in this decade have been guilty of going through the motions, with the exceptions of Match Point and VCB (which just won Penelope Cruz a much-deserved Oscar).

Banderas, known mostly as either an action hero or as a voice actor for the Shrek films, could fit into a Woody Allen film pretty easily. Considering that 9 months before Vicky Cristina Barcelona came out Javier Bardem gave one of the most sinister performances of the decade and was still without a doubt charming and funny, I think Banderas could shine.

Details of the story were not revealed. Shooting begins this summer.