Joaquin Phoenix is no longer alone on the cast list for Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice. The Master star has been attached to the project since January, when he took over the lead role for Robert Downey Jr., but when it was announced last week that production on the movie would start this month we knew that it wouldn't be long until it started attracting more actors.
The Wrap has learned that Academy Award-winner Benicio Del Toro is now in active discussions to join the cast of Inherent Vice. A detective story set in 1970, the story centers on a pothead private eye named Doc Sportello (Phoenix) who starts investigating a kidnapping case involving a lost girl. Should Del Toro sign on he will play a friend of Doc's who is "always trying to help the protagonist out of trouble." The trade notes that it's not a critical role in the movie, but that it has scene-stealer potential. As mentioned, filming is scheduled to start soon, though the project doesn't currently have a release date.
Del Toro's production has slowed a bit over the last few years, with only two credited roles since 2010 (he last appeared in Oliver Stone's Savages). He should, however, start popping up more soon. He will soon be seen in the drama Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian, which is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival; and is currently filming the romance/thriller Paradise Lost, in which he will play notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar.
