Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Topher Grace has signed on to star opposite Chris Evans, Michelle Monaghan, Anthony Mackie, Aubrey Plaza, and Giovanni Ribisi in A Many Splintered Thing, the Justin Reardon-directed film for McG’s Wonderland Sound & Vision and Voltage Pictures. Production begins October 26.

In the vein of Amelie and (500) Days Of Summer, the film tells the story of a young man disillusioned by love who meets a breathtaking young woman at a charity dinner by pretending to be a philanthropist. Turns out that she’s engaged to a guy who doesn’t like her going on dates. Challenged by the chase, and egged on by his eclectic friends, he feigns a platonic relationship in order to keep seeing her as he tries to conquer her heart. Grace will play the poser’s best friend. The film is being produced by Voltage’s Nicolas Chartier and Craig Flores and Wonderland’s McG and Mary Viola.

Wonderland initially optioned the Black List screenplay from Chris Shafer & Paul Vicknair last year. The screenplay was also a 2011 Nicholl Fellowship Finalist. Wonderland brought the project to Voltage to co-produce and finance, and together they attached Reardon, a commercials director. Voltage Pictures is handling foreign sales on the picture.

Grace most recently starred in Too Big To Fail for HBO, Lionsgate’s The Big Wedding with Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Amanda Seyfried and Katherine Heigl, The Giant Mechanical Man and The Double. Grace recently made his New York theatre debut in Paul Weitz’s Lonely I’m Not. He is represented by ICM Partners, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and attorney Michael Gendler.