Julia Roberts, Baldwin to star in 'Normal Heart'

Los Angeles: Hollywood stars Julia Roberts and Alec Baldwin have been tapped to star in 'Normal Heart', an adaptation of the Tony-winning play of the same title.

Roberts and Baldwin will join Mark Rufallo, Matthew Bomer and Jim Parsons in the drama, which will be directed and produced by 'Glee' creator Ryan Murphy, about the fight against HIV/AIDS in New York's gay community, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Roberts is set to play Emma Brookner, a wheel-chair bound doctor who is concerned about the rise of HIV/AIDS in New York's gay community in the 1980s.

Baldwin, meanwhile, is set to tackle the part of a lawyer who has a hard time dealing with his sibling's sexual orientation.

In addition to Roberts and Baldwin, the forthcoming movie has also tapped 'White Collar' star Matthew Bomer and 'The Big Bang Theory' actor Jim Parsons.

Bomer will portray a gay fashion journalist Felix Turner, who is tragically infected by the deadly disease. As for Parson, he will play a a gay activist.

The lead role in the drama will be played by Ruffalo. Weeks is one of the first to raise awareness when what was then known as 'gay cancer' grew in the Big Apple. The character was made famous by Joe Mantello, who performed the play on Broadway last April 2011.

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