American actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been confirmed to have secured a female leading role alongside Will Smith in the upcoming action thriller film from Paramount Pictures, titled "Gemini Man." After a grueling audition period, the 33-year-old actress landed the part, getting ahead of other notable Hollywood actresses in the process. 

As reported by Variety, the other aspirants for the female lead role were "Orphan Black" star Tatiana Maslany and Elizabeth Debicki, who made an appearance in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." It has not yet been confirmed as of now, but it is speculated that the producers are eyeing British actor Clive Owen to play the role of the villain. Ang Lee is already slated to direct the film, with Jerry Bruckheimer as the producer. If everything goes according to plan, the film could be released in the fourth quarter of 2019. 

Winstead has turned in well-received performances from critics and audiences alike from her stint at the television drama series "Fargo," up to her latest films such as "10 Cloverfield Lane" -- wherein she starred alongside John Goodman.  

It has taken quite a while for the film to finally take off, since the script has been passed around since 1997, wherein it was pitched by Darren Lemke. One of the producers, Skydance Media, has taken it upon itself to assess just when the production could begin now that all the pieces are in place. This is largely in part due to the hectic schedule of Smith, who is the main protagonist of the film. 

"Gemini Man" is a story about a seasoned hitman named Henry, played by Smith, who is hunted down by a much younger clone of himself. The clone, who is also played by Smith, is at his peak in terms of strength, stamina, and skill, which makes him a very dangerous and deadly opponent for Henry.