Screen Daily’s Wendy Mitchell reported Monday that Ron Perlman is set to join the rapidly-expanding cast of Bronson director Nicolas Winding Refn’s upcoming film Drive. Perlman is the latest addition to an ensemble that already includes Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, and Albert Brooks. According to the story there is no word yet what role Perlman will play, but presumably the star of Hellboy and Beauty and the Beast will play someone formidable and intimidating – although we can’t be sure as of yet.
Refn is rapidly becoming one of the most unpredictable and provocative directors working today, having helmed the three films in the Pusher trilogy before moving on to markedly different projects such as this year’s virtually wordless, would-be exercise in pure cinema, Valhalla Rising, as well as the aforementioned Bronson. With the addition of Perlman to the cast of the film, which is based on James Sallis’ novel of the same name, Drive promises to be his most commercial film to date, at least stateside, and it will be interesting to see how well he translates his versatile, muscular visual style to something with greater mainstream appeal.
As for Perlman, the actor has himself enjoyed an eclectic variety of roles over the past several years, and Drive promises to offer him another unique, unforgettable character to add to his repertoire. Meanwhile, there’s no indication yet whether or not his chin will have its own dedicated supporting role. (Unconfirmed rumors suggest that Henry Rollins’ neck is also up for the same part.)
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