Ewan McGregor to Play Julia Roberts’ Husband in August: Osage County Movie

Ewan McGregor has been cast as the estranged husband of Julia Roberts’ character in the upcoming film adaptation of Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County, according to Deadline.com.

McGregor will play Bill Fordham, a college professor who left his wife Barbara (Roberts) for one of his students. Bill returns to Oklahoma to support his wife and daughter (Abigail Breslin) following the disappearance of the family patriarch. Meryl Streep plays Violet Weston, the ailing matriarch and Bill’s mother-in-law.

In addition to McGregor, Roberts, Streep and Breslin, the film stars Chris Cooper, Dermot Mulroney, Juliette Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam Shepard, Margo Martindale and recently announced Misty Upham. Filming is scheduled to begin on September 24.

August: Osage County originally premiered at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company before transferring to Broadway in 2007 and earning the 2008 Tony for Best Play. The production closed on June 28, 2009.