An impressive duo of 72-year-olds, Dustin Hoffman and Anthony Hopkins, have signed on for The Song of Names, the latest from House of Sand and Fog director Vadim Perelman.  THR reports that Jeffrey Caine (The Constant Gardener) is writing the script, an adaptation of the acclaimed novel of the same name from Norman Lebrecht.  The story takes place forty years after the disappearance of a violin prodigy, when the mystery of what happened to him begins to unravel.

That's quite a solid cast and crew for Song---it has Oscar bait written all over it, though I can't imagine a more vibrant teaming of acting veterans than Hopkins and Hoffman.  Look for the plot synopsis of the novel after the jump.

Here's the official description from Amazon:

Winner of the 2002 Whitbread Prize for a first novel, Lebrecht, cultural commentator for the BBC, brings to life an intriguing tale about music and betrayal. Dovidl Rappoport is a violin prodigy and a Polish refugee whose family perished in the Holocaust. He now lives with a wealthy Jewish family in London and befriends their socially awkward son, Martin Simmonds. Martin's father, a musical impresario, trains Dovidl for the biggest debut on the London stage, and Martin is commandeered to act as caretaker. The two become close friends, forming a sybaritic relationship. Dovidl, however, slowly begins to slink into London's seamier nightlife and eventually disappears on the day of his much-anticipated debut, wreaking havoc on the family and its business. Forty years later, Martin discovers a trace of the vanished prodigy and eventually ekes out a plan to avenge the betrayal all those years ago. Lebrecht's story delves into the horrors of the Holocaust and the Blitz, as well as the quiet communities of Hasidic Judaism that developed in Britain after the flight of so many refugees. What emerges is a vivid and outstanding story that sings about artistry, genius, music, love, envy, friendship, and revenge.

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