David Mitchell’s beloved novel is being adapted by director Tom Tykwer, the man behind Run Lola Run.

An interesting cast is being lined up: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, James McAvoy, Ian McKellen and Natalie Portman have all been offered roles, according to Production Weekly. This seems remarkably star-studded for early negotiations but we’ll watch over the coming week as these names gradually fall away from the project.

The plot of the books sounds ultimately unfilmable: the story spans about 1000 years and follows six different character’s own stories. Portman has been attached to the project on and off for the past year but now seems a bit more invested in the project.

The Wachowski Bros. are set to produce the project but I’m just hoping that they’re not allowed to touch the script. I don’t want another Matrix 1 and 2.