Update: The Daily Show‘s Aasif Mandvi has also been signed for The Internship, with Deadline telling us he’ll play Mr. Chetti, the “tough head” of Vaughn and Wilson‘s newfound career. You can read the original story below.
When in doubt, call a Good Man. Variety reports that John Goodman and Eric Andre have joined the cast of The Internship, a comedy from 20th Century Fox and director Shawn Levy. The movie, written by Vince Vaughn, stars he and Owen Wilson as two forty-somethings who lose their jobs and find themselves interning for a tech company, where their old school ways (and lack of understanding of witchcraft like “smartphones,” or whatever) frequently clash with their much younger coworkers/rivals.
Andre — who hosts a talk show called The Eric Andre Show on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block — will play an adviser who acts as a mentor to Vaughn and Wilson; Goodman will play what Variety describes as their “ultimate boss.” (How video game-y does that sound?) Rose Byrne will also co-star as Wilson‘s love interest, who works as an executive at the tech firm.
The Internship reunites these two for the first time since 2005’s Wedding Crashers, which was a surprise hit at the box office (and, even more surprisingly, wasn’t terrible), helping to turn them into bonafide stars. The project was announced back in February, but its start date has been pushed back twice so far. There is no word on a new commencement point.
As an unashamed fan of Wedding Crashers, part of me is really excited to see Vaughn and Wilson finally act alongside one another on the big-screen again — but the other part of me is thinking it’s too little too late. Both actors’ stars have faded over the past seven years and, while it would have been a boon had this movie been made a few years earlier, I don’t know if anyone really cares nowadays.
To be frank, these casting announcements don’t really do much for me; Goodman is great, but Variety says his role will a “cameo,” and I have no idea who Eric Andre is. And then there’s the fact that The Internship has a sketchy premise to begin with, one that seems more like an Adam Carolla premise than something that Vaughn would write. (That being the “ME A MAN, WHAT IS COMPUTER?” premise.) Still, the man did write it, and he and Wilson do have wonderful chemistry together. I don’t want to commit to a side just yet, and you can’t make me.
What do you think of The Internship? Do Vaughn and Wilson have what it take to catch the Wedding Crashers lightning in a bottle once again?