If you thought that Al Pacino cropping up as a Sandler-lady-loving version of himself in Jack And Jill was odd casting, the bar may now be raised. According to Deadline, Sean Penn – not known for appearing in big studio comedies – is now negotiating to play a role in The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty.
Ben Stiller has finally wrangled the comedy out of development hell, where it has been stuck for years. Working from a script by Steve Conrad, Stiller will direct and star in the tale of a timid magazine photo editor who finds his only satisfaction living through fanciful dreams, including those about co-worker Kristen Wiig.
But then a negative goes missing and Mitty must go out on a hunt to find it, which leads him on an actual adventure, and changes his life.
Penn’s role is being kept quiet, but is apparently “small” yet “pivotal.” Perhaps he’s the person in the negative?
Assuming he seals a deal, he’ll join a cast that already includes Stiller, Wiig, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine and Josh Charles. Penn is currently on screen in Paolo Sorrentino’s This Must Be The Place, and will next be seen in Gangster Squad, which is still awaiting a releas date.