Earlier today, we reported on the first plot details of director Wally Pfister's Transcendence, where Johnny Depp will play a scientist whose brain is uploaded into a supercomputer. Now we have word that Rooney Mara, Emily Blunt, and Rebecca Hall are the top candidates to play the female lead.

The story centers on Johnny Depp's Will and his wife Evelyn, the role this trio of actresses are vying for. Along with another scientist, they are trying to create the world's first sentient machine. When Will is murdered by extremists, Evelyn proceeds to upload Will's brain into a supercomputer.

Production is slated to begin on March 4, which may pose a problem for Emily Blunt. The actress' schedule for All You Need Is Kill has still not been worked out yet, so it is possible that both shoots may overlap.

Wally Pfister is directing from a screenplay by Jack Pagen, with Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson producing. Wally Pfister is best known as the director of photography on Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. He also won an Academy Award for his work on Inception. Christopher Nolan will serve as an executive producer on Transcendence with Emma Thomas.