Leave it to Paul Thomas Anderson to continually surprise us with the casting for his latest film. While bringing back his star of The Master, Joaquin Phoenix, was a no-brainer, it was revealed earlier this week that the director added Benicio Del Toro to the ensemble of Inherent Vice and now we’ve got another welcome addition.
According to The Wrap, Owen Wilson is currently in talks for an unknown role in the film, but one that will see him as a co-lead. Based on Thomas Pynchon‘s novel, the film follows Phoenix as Larry “Doc” Sportello, a pot-smoking detective on a kidnapping case in 1970’s Los Angeles. As for Del Toro, his role is a minor supporting one of an attorney, Sauncho Smilax, who considers it his duty to assist Phoenix.
Update: Cigs & Red Vines have confirmed the casting and report that Wilson will be playing Coy Harlingen, described as a “a surf-saxophone player for a band called The Boards. In the book, Coy was rumored to be dead of a heroin over-dose but is indeed a central character that appears throughout the entire story.”
This marks another promising role for Wilson, who will also be seen later this year in Wes Anderson‘s The Grand Budapest Hotel. Expect more casting soon, especially the female lead, as production kicks off this month with the help of cinematographer Robert Elswit. As a side note, the production will be going under the name of “Golden Fang,” as a nod to the novel.
Are you looking forward to seeing Wilson work with PTA?