John will be playing a full fledged role in the film opposite Hollywood actress Rachel Weisz. This will be the second time that John and Deepa Mehta will be working on an international project together after Water.
The deal was concluded a few days ago. John was in Cannes to promote his film Goal.
"I informed John about the Hollywood project with Rachel and he was very excited," Deepa said from Cannes to a leading daily.
"I had no intention of coming to Cannes but my producers wanted to announce the project. The inspiration for the female lead is Julia Hill and she was also in Cannes but she will not be a part of the film, which is very eco-friendly."
John is the first mainstream Bollywood actor to do a culture non-specific role opposite a huge Hollywood star. He plays an environmentalist in LunaI and he is not an Indian or an American in the film.
This opportunity makes him the first Indian actor to crack the West without playing an NRI or some exotic creature, BT continues. Oscar winner David Ward will write the script for the film. "Julia Hill just loved John," said Deepa, "She thought he looked like Antonio Banderas."