It's always exciting when large-scale ensemble dramas are announced. These projects open up special doors that allow some of the best actors in the industry to work with and bounce off other like none other, and it's fun to watch and see just how many A-listers can be packaged into one feature. This is currently the case for Adam McKay's The Big Short, which has already brought together some absolutely amazing names.
Following up on the news from yesterday that Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt will be appearing in the brand new financial drama, now word has come down from The Hollywood Reporter that Steve Carell is now in talks to sign on as well. The trade also has a breakdown of the different characters that each of the stars is preparing to play, so let's take a closer look at each of them, shall we?
To start with the newest addition, Steve Carell is in negotiations to Steve Eisman, a money manager from FrontPoint Partners who shorted sub-pirme mortgages for the company. Should he sign on to the project, this will actually be a reunion between him and Adam McKay - having previously starred in both Anchorman and Anchorman 2 - though obviously this project will have a very different tone. This is rather fitting given that Carell is just a few months away from receiving critical raves for his dark performance in Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher.
Seemingly playing one of the better dudes in the story of greed and horribleness that is The Big Short, Christian Bale is attached to play Michael Burry, who is identified in the trade report as "the Scion Capital and one of the first people to predict the coming crisis." The content of the film and working with Adam McKay will present him with territory to explore, but Bale also isn't exactly new to all-star ensemble dramas, having just recently starred alongside a bunch of other very talented recognizable faces in David O. Russell's American Hustle.
The Hollywood Reporter's story is a bit light on character details for Ryan Gosling in The Big Short, but they do say that he will be playing Greg Lippmann, described as a Deutsche Bank trader. Interestingly, the actor has already had the chance to work alongside two of his co-stars, albeit under rather different circumstances. In 2011 he starred alongside Steve Carrel in the romantic dramedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, and later this year we may see him sharing the screen with Christian Bale in Terrence Malick's untitled 2015 drama that isn't Knight of Cups.
Finally there's Pitt, who is described as having only a supporting role in Adam McKay's film - playing Ben Hockett, a partner at Cornwall Capital - but the limited part could be explained by the fact that he is also busy serving as a producer on the movie. This will be the second time that he has starred in an adaptation of a Michael Lewis book, having previously been the lead in Bennett Miller's Moneyball.
At this time, The Big Short doesn't have a release date or a scheduled start for production, but you can be damn sure we're already excited for it.
