I get the joke.
R.I.P.D. is a project that’s a long time coming, first covered on this site five years ago with a lot of talent changes over the years. The idea of a murdered cop joining a supernatural policing department is right in line with movies like Ghostbusters and Men In Black that are mentioned as the films to which this new graphic novel adaptation is aspiring to stand alongside. We’ve seen the project take on high-profile geek comedian Zack Galafianakis cast alongside leading man Ryan Reynolds, and then be replaced by Jeff Bridges. Kevin Bacon even fits in there somewhere. Now an actress currently known more for her successful modeling career is joining the film and, oddly enough, Ms. Marisa Miller and Jeff Bridges will be one and the same.
In the story, Reynold’s character is looking for his killer and hoping to reconnect with his wife from beyond the grave. He’s doing so as a part of the Rest In Peace Department, which partners him with an experienced supernatural copper who I understand is a dead civil war soldier. That’s Bridges’ part, and it will also be an opportunity for the film to showcase a pretty lady through a setup that has him taking on an alternate body when he crosses over to the living world. Since humans can’t see ghosts, if the characters wish to interact with the real world they must take on a corporeal form and can choose said form. Apparently a civil war veteran chooses to be a supermodel.
Miller has posed for Sports Illustrated, Victoria’s Secret, and surely every other major outlet that showcases well-put-together women, but she’s not entirely new to the acting world. Small parts on Entourage, How I Met Your Mother, and Gary Unmarried have put her in front of a film camera before. Between this and Transformers, a few keen models are blazing trails for their peers into action flicks. Go ahead and read between the lines about Hollywood’s priorities in the face of such a trend…
UPDATE: Mike O’Malley was announced to be joining the cast soon after I hit publish. He’ll be playing a ghost of sort, and you may recognize him from the many TV shows he’s been a regular on, as well as few flicks like Eat, Pray, Love and Cedar Rapids that he’s been in lately.
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