Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is changing gears in a major way for his next project. While we have gotten to know the filmmaker through his deeply dramatic, soul crushing movies like Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel and Biutiful, his next title, Birdman, will take him head-first into the world of comedy. And he's assembled an absolutely amazing cast to take the trip with him.
The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis have all signed on for Inarritu's first comedy. As previously reported, the movie will center on an aging actor who earned fame while young playing an iconic superhero, Birdman. Looking for a way to see his name back in lights, he realizes that his best course of action is to put on a Broadway play. Keaton, who actually played Batman in Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns, will star as the lead and Stone will play his daughter, a young woman fresh out of rehab who works as her father's assistant. The trade adds, "Watts will be an actress in the play, while Galifianakis will play the production's conniving producer." The film is still looking to fill two major roles: the lead actor in the play and Keaton's character's ex wife.
While most of the actors will be working with the director for the first time, Watts previously starred in 21 Grams, though this will obviously be a very different kind of movie. I love the fact that Keaton may be playing some kind of odd version of himself, and it's just straight up awesome that he's been signing on for so many projects recently.
Birdman is looking to start production early next month.
