Unger, Nesbitt join Estevez's 'Way'

Drama stars Martin Sheen as grieving dad

By EMILIANO DE PABLOS

MADRID -- Canadian thesp Deborah Kara Unger ("88 Minutes," "Crash") and the U.K.'s James Nesbitt ("Bloody Sunday," "Match Point") have joined Martin Sheen to star in the Emilio Estevez-directed family drama "The Way."

The $5 million pic, which is produced by Spain's Filmax Ent., is set along the thousand-year-old Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.

It tells the story of Tom Avery, played by Sheen, a Californian ophthalmologist who travels to France to reclaim the body of his estranged son, who died in a storm in the Pyrenees, at one of the startpoints of the Camino de Santiago.

Avery cremates his remains, puts them in his son's backpack and starts off on his son's journey to Santiago.

Apart from Estevez, who also plays an acting role in the film, other thesps added include Spain's Angela Molina ("Broken Embraces"), Simon Andreu ("The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"), Eusebio Lazaro ("Pan's Labyrinth") and Carlos Leal ("Broken Embraces").

"The Way," which is Estevez's fourth feature as a writer-director, is produced by Filmax chairman Julio Fernandez, Estevez and Elixir Films' David Alexanian.

The pic, which rolled Sept. 28 in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port, below the Route de Napoleon over the Pyrenees, is skedded to wrap Nov. 13, after taking in a clutch of Camino landmarks such as Roncesvalles, Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon and Galicia.

Spanish cinematographer Juanmi Azpiroz ("Savage Grace") and art director Victor Molero ("Broken Embraces") have joined to the crew.