Russell Brand played the randy, often intoxicated superstar Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and last year’s Get Him To The Greek successfully enough, and now Katy Perry’s hubby may return to the music scene in the upcoming Rock of Ages adaptation.
Hairspray filmmaker Adam Shankman looks to begin production soon on his latest stage musical-turned-movie, which has already attracted the attention of three big names – potential leading man Tom Cruise being the most notable, of course.
A hit on Broadway, the comedically-inclined Rock of Ages tells the tale of a world-famous ’80s rock club called The Bourbon that is in danger of being shut down and destroyed by selfish land developers. Deadline says that Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3 scriber Michael Arndt has refashioned Chris D’Arienzo’s original Rock of Ages musical book for the big screen adaptation, which will most likely feature Cruise as the cocky but charismatic (and aging) rock sensation, Stacee Jax.
Brand would play Lonnie, the Bourbon’s manager and manservant to club owner Dennis – a character that may be brought to life by Alec Baldwin. The former is fresh off starring as the titular playboy in this year’s Arthur remake and Warner Bros. has reportedly made it a priority to get him onboard for Rock of Ages as well. While Brand has arguably yet to play anything but… well, himself to some degree onscreen, the musically-inclined party animal shtick is one he certainly has down pat.
Rock of Ages features many bring-down-the-house musical numbers, including a rousing rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and tunes by fellow ’80s rockers like Pat Benatar, Poison, Journey, and REO Speedwagon. It will still be a musical pic with a plot that bears a strong resemblance to last year’s Burlesque (for the record – Rock of Ages was conceived long before the Cher/Christina Aguilera vehicle), so even the potential involvement of Cruise, Baldwin, Brand, and Gwyneth Paltrow will only go so far as to attract the attention of moviegoers usually not inclined to watching song & dance flicks.
Assuming there are no hiccups in the casting process, filming on Rock of Ages could get underway by this May. For more information about this and other upcoming projects, follow us on Twitter @screenrant and @feynmanguy.
Source: Deadline
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