Adam McKay is making a big move directing The Big Short as his next film, making the jump from goofy comedies like Anchorman and Step Brothers to serious drama. It should be an interesting journey for him as a filmmaker, but it will be an adventure that sees him working with an outstanding cast.
Variety has the news that Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling have all signed on to star in The Big Short, which is an adaptation of the Michael Lewis book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. Though their exact character identities have not yet been revealed, the story in the film follows multiple key people who were responsible for creating the housing and credit bubble that left our country in a state of financial crisis. Impressive as it may sound, the film is apparently not done looking for A-listers to join the cast, as the movie is being planned as a big ensemble piece described as being akin to Steven Soderbergh's Traffic.
The Big Short first found its way into development back in 2010 - more than a full year before the release of Bennett Miller's Michael Lewis adaptation Moneyball - but it has taken a little while to actually get made. Adam McKay brought new life to the project last March, but any movement since then has been kept under the radar. This will obviously be Brad Pitt's second time starring in a Michael Lewis adaptation, and he is also serving as a producer on the project through his Plan B production company.
Being three of the biggest actors in Hollywood, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling have all been keeping themselves rather busy as of late. Pitt was back on the big screen just a few months ago in Fury, and has wrapped on his most recent collaboration with Angelina Jolie, the romantic drama By The Sea. Likewise, Bale was recently featured at the center of Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings, and will be the star of Terrence Malick's 2015 entry Knight of Cups. Gosling spent most of 2014 with his directorial debut, Lost River, but also recently wrapped up shooting the Shane Black-directed period LA detective story The Nice Guys.
As of right now, The Big Short doesn't have either a release date or a set schedule for the start of production, but with Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling on-board it wouldn't exactly be a huge shocker to see Paramount Pictures start developing the movie as a priority. That means that it may not be long before even more new casting reports start rolling in, so be sure to stay tuned for more updates about the project in the coming weeks and months.
