Dustin Hoffman Joins Natalie Portman in Wonder Emporium

The 68-year-old "Meet the Fockers" star may soon join the cast of Mandate Pictures' Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, according to Variety.

Dustin Hoffman is said to be Natalie Portman's co-star in the fantasy directed by Zach Helm, which will be fully financed by Mandate, a partner in Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's Ghost House Pictures, the horror genre label behind The Grudge, Boogeyman and the upcoming The Grudge 2.

Hoffman will plays an eccentric toy shop owner who wants to lift Portman out of her depression by leaving her the store.

Natalie Portman comes into the care of the enchanted toy store after the eccentric owner passes away. However, the once-bustling business goes down because her depression and disbelief of anything enchanted. She must overcome her skeptism in order to see the magical part of life.

Producer Richard Gladstein said in an interview to The Hollywood Reporter, elalier this year:
"Zach is a unique and talented writer, and I'm thrilled to be working with him on what I imagine will be the first of many films he'll be directing. Natalie's response to the script has been brilliant, and she is the ideal actor around whom to build a wonderful ensemble."


Dustin Hoffman: Filmography (wikipedia)

The Tiger Makes Out (1967)
The Graduate (1967)
Madigan's Millions (1968)
Sunday Father (1969) (short subject)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
John and Mary (1969)
Little Big Man (1970)
On Location: Dustin Hoffman (1971) (short subject)
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971)
Straw Dogs (1971)
Alfredo, Alfredo (1972)
Papillon (1973)
Lenny (1974)
The Magic of Hollywood... Is the Magic of People (1976) (short subject)
All the President's Men (1976)
Marathon Man (1976)
Straight Time (1978) (also producer)
Agatha (film) (1979)
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Tootsie (1982)
Private Conversations (1986) (documentary)
Ishtar (1987)
Rain Man (1988)
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989) (documentary) (narrator)
Family Business (1989)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Billy Bathgate (1991)
Hook (movie) (1991)
Hero (1992)
Jonas in the Desert (1994) (documentary)
Outbreak (1995)
American Buffalo (1996)
Sleepers (1996)
Mad City (1997)
Wag the Dog (1997)
Sphere (1998)
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
Tuesday (2001) (short subject) (voice)
Goldwyn (2001) (documentary) (narrator)
Moonlight Mile (2002)
The Shakespeare Sessions (2003) (documentary)
Confidence (2003)
Runaway Jury (2003)
Freedom2speak v2.0 (2004) (documentary)
Finding Neverland (2004)
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) (Cameo)
Racing Stripes (2005) (voice)
The Lost City (2005) (currently in post-production)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2005) (currently in pre-production)
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) (currently in pre-production)
Car Wars (2006) (currently in pre-production)
The Berkeley Connection (2006) (currently announced start of production)