Update: Deadline report that Andrea Riseborough (Oblivion, Welcome to the Punch) has also been added to the ensemble, taking the part of Laura, while ScreenDaily have learned that Amy Ryan is also attached. The original story can be read below.
Despite how one may feel about his films, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is a name that is able to secure a cast most directors can only dream of. Since his debut Amores Perros, his two follow-ups of 21 Grams and Babel had top-notch ensembles, while his last effort, Biutiful, was led by the talented Javier Bardem. He’s now gearing up to shoot his first dark comedy and we got the news this week on the first batch of names joining him.
The quartet of Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis took on major roles in the project titled Birdman and now we’ve got another big name to add. According to Deadline, Edward Norton will be fifth addition to the project, which is penned by Inarritu, alongside Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo. The film takes place in just one location over three days with Keaton playing a former actor, who once played an iconic superhero and now mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim past glory.
Norton, who is continuing a comedic streak (coming off Wes Anderson‘s Moonrise Kingdom and currently shooting his The Grand Budapest Hotel), will play an egotistical lead in the play. Stone will be playing Keaton’s daughter and assistant, recently released from rehab, while 21 Grams star Naomi Watts will reteam with her director as an actress in the play, based on a Raymond Chandler short story. Zach Galifianakis rounds out the initial cast of the Fox Searchlight and New Regency production, playing a “conniving” producer.
Production kicks off next month in a New York City Broadway theater, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw this one by year’s end due to the small-scale nature.