They had to phone her friend to state their case: Morton joins 'Control'

So while it has nothing officially to do with New York cinema, The Reeler's local brushes with Anton Corbijn sort of compel me to bring you the latest on the director's long-stalled Joy Divison film Control.

Not that there is a lot to say. We have heard no shortage of Curtis casting rumors over the years--from Sean Harris reprising his 24 Hour Party People role to Jude Law and now Cillian Murphy (if we want to hypothesize from producer Tony Wilson's clues)--and I am pretty sure I heard Christopher Doyle say he was going to shoot a feature soon with Corbijn. But today's Variety reports the film is thisclose to making its first real, hard-and-fast attachment: Samantha Morton is apparently in talks to play Curtis' widow Deborah, on whose book the film is based.

Reporter Ian Mohr stops just short of announcing an actual attachment, although he does note in classic Variety-ese that "pic is skedded to lense early next year in England." As even Corbijn would likely say at this point: I will believe it when I see it.