Rian Johnson’s follow-up to Brick has been slowly percolating behind the scenes. Months ago we learned that Rachel Weisz had signed on to The Brothers Bloom, Johnson’s take on a con man movie. Now there’s finally new casting, and it was worth the wait.
Rian emails us from freezing cold Belgrade (it’s not so warm in New York, either) to say that he’s added some major names to the cast. Adrien Brody, Oscar winner for The Pianist will play ‘Bloom’, the younger brother of the con man team, while Rinko Kikuchi, hottie and Oscar nominee for Babel, will play the brothers’ unnamed accomplice. What’s great is that Rian says Rinko’s character will be very funny, which is a nice change from her incredibly downbeat deaf girl in Babel.
There’s more news coming soon, Rian promises, and I can’t wait. Brick was one of my favorite movies of last year, and The Brothers Bloom promises to be just as well written and literate as that one – and while I love the cast of Brick, there’s a serious step up in star power here. Look for more word on the casting of supporting characters – people who have read the script (I’ve held out from reading it so far) say that the movie is full of terrific supporting roles.