A couple of days ago, we caught word of Jerry Lewis‘s sudden return to live-action film acting when it was revealed that he’d be starring in the title role of Daniel Noah‘s Max Rose — the actor’s first starring role since Funny Bones back in 1995. That report came loaded with a handful of potential actors to round out the cast, and this new piece from Variety clears up the picture even further, confirming that Kerry Bishé (recently of Argo fame) and (even better) Peter Bogdanovich will fill out some of the film’s meatiest supporting roles.
The film, which was also written by Noah (who made his debut over a decade ago with the little-seen Twelve), “follows a recently widowed 82-year-old pianist (Lewis) who wonders if his decades-long marriage was based on a lie after he discovers an artifact of his wife’s that suggests she may have been unfaithful.” Bishé, whose other recent credits include Red State, Newlyweds, and The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, “will play the protagonist’s granddaughter who takes care of him.” There’s no word yet on the specifics of Bogdanovich’s role.
I have no knowledge of Noah’s debut film, nor am I even quite sure what exactly to make of this seemingly small-scale project proving to be the catalyst for Lewis’s return to big-screen acting. I will say, though, that the synopsis we have at the moment strikes me as one with intriguing dramatic potential. It looks very much like the dynamic between Lewis and Bishé could perhaps be the central emotional crux of the story, and it’s such an unlikely pair that I’m finding myself curious as to how it’ll eventually turn out.
How do you feel about the cast that is currently shaping up for Max Rose?