UPDATE: Jillian Bell, who broke out in a big way this past summer with 22 Jump Street, has also joined the cast, taking on the part of Rogen’s character’s wife, Betsy, who gives the main characters “a cornucopia of drugs” in order to help fuel one last Christmas Eve hurrah. Deadline also updates us on the plot, adding that the friends’ “annual Christmas holiday reunion becomes fraught with disaster as they each suffer their own individual crises.”
ORIGINAL: As if we weren’t already excited enough to see actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen reteam with their 50/50 writer-director Jonathan Levine for an untitled Christmas comedy, the film just snagged a supremely talented actress for its lead female role – Lizzy Caplan, currently starring on the second season of Showtime’s incredible Masters of Sex.
Caplan will play Diana, a love interest for Gordon-Levitt’s protagonist. The still-untitled pic will also star Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and focus on three former friends who reconnect on Christmas Eve for a night of shenanigans in a major city.
It’s extremely gratifying to see an actress of Caplan’s caliber join this title, which we were already dying to see. 50/50, about a man (Gordon-Levitt) who deals with his cancer diagnosis with the help of an irresponsible best friend (Rogen), balanced its dramatic and comedic aspects with a finesse rarely seen at the movies today and was undoubtedly one of the best films of 2011.
Whether lightning will strike twice for Levine, Gordon-Levitt and Rogen remains to be seen, but their combined talents make it likely that this holiday-set comedy will be more than just a cut above the rest. Production on the film is set to kick off in New York City next week, with Sony evidently aiming to slot it for a December release next year.
Published: Aug 8, 2014 02:00 pm