The reporting of casting news is normally a boring and tedious affair. Most of the time, the actor seems like he would probably be decent for the part, and the entire process causes little to no fanfare. Occasionally though, an actor will sign for a role that suits him so perfectly that you can literally picture him in the costume before shooting even begins. This is one of those special cases.
According to Variety, in a move so obvious and brilliant that you wonder why it was even announced, Think Film has signed Christopher Walken to play a dusty old conman who is feuding with his son. It makes perfect sense because the Deer Hunter star, if nothing else, is basically a conman. He convinces Hollywood executives to shell out insane amounts of cash so that he can essentially invent a wacky character and screw around on screen. Minnesota Fats only wished that he was that outrageous.
The film is called Five Dollars A Day, and it centers around the relationship between Walken’s character and his more reserved son (played by Alessandro Nivola). Shooting is set to begin on September 10th; so, look for this one around the same time next year. Lately, Walken has been walking a fine line between complex, amusing characters and laughable caricatures; so, judgement needs to be reserved until the final product is ready to be reviewed.
