Here's some news that ought to take the sting out of the negative reviews Justin Timberlake's latest movie, In Time is racking up. Variety is reporting that the Coen Bros. have offered Timberlake a lead role in their next movie, Inside Llewyn Davis. Centered around the folk music scene in Greenwich Village during the 1960s, the movie is loosely based on the life of folk singer Dave Van Ronk.
Timberlake wouldn't be playing the Van Ronk-alike Llewyn Davis -- that role has already gone to Oscar Isaac (he played Prince John in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood). Instead, Timberlake has been offered the role of Jim, another folk musician. Carey Mulligan is already cast to play Jean, Jim's wife. We don't know much more about the character than that at this point.
The Coen Bros. wrote the script partially based on Van Ronk's memoir, The Mayor of MacDougal Street. Van Ronk was a centerpiece of coffeehouse culture and the folk revival of the '60s, and he was friends with iconic names such as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. His own musical style incorporated blues, jazz, and ragtime, amongst others.
I'll be astonished if Timberlake turns this one down. The Coen Bros. are one of those talents that pretty much everybody wants to work with. And good for him. I've grown to like Timberlake in spite of myself over the years -- he's proven to have genuine acting chops in movies like The Social Network and Black Snake Moan, and he never seems to take himself too seriously. Plus, it's impossible to hate anyone involved with "Dick in a Box." Take the job, Timberlake!
