Yet another great comedic actor is joining the Judd Apatow Universe of Comedy Stars – Jenna Fischer, who plays receptionist Pam on the American version of The Office, has signed on to star alongside John C Reilly in the fake music biopic Walk Hard, which Apatow is writing with director Jake Kasdan.
Fischer, who is married to CHUD fave James Gunn, will play Darlene, the love interest of Reilly’s Dewey Cox, a musician who goes through the usual trials and tribulations we see in music biopics… except this time it’ll be funny on purpose. She’s a great addition to the ever expanding Apatowverse, and not just because of her wonderfully deadpan work on The Office; Fischer wrote and directed a great little film called Lollilove, which recently hit DVD. She’s a total talent, someone who can bring comedy to the writing table, an important consideration when joining the very collaborative Apatowverse.
Walk Hard was already shaping up to be among my most anticipated 2008 films, if only because I want Jake Kasdan back at Zero Effect levels of greatness. Now I’m finding myself excited to see how Reilly and Fischer play together – and that’s just the beginning of casting.