Searchlight has found a new star for its upcoming film Behemoth! in none other than Will Arnett, who Deadline reports will now join the project and star alongside Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, and Matthew Lillard.
The movie, which will be directed by The Bourne Identity writer Tony Gilroy, was originally set to star Stranger Things alum David Harbour, before his recent departure from the project. The actor had already filmed some scenes, as production began in late October, but according to the outlet, Harbour’s involvement so far had been minimal enough that reshoots won’t be a big part of the process.
Deadline cited his participation in the Stranger Things press cycle as a major part of why there’s not too much to redo, and the outlet claims that the recasting also won’t keep the movie from wrapping on schedule sometime in the weeks to come.
As far as what the film is about, the studio has kept mum on a synopsis but we do know that the film focuses on a cellist, so it does seem to be music related in some capacity. Alongside Arnett and the other A-Listers, Margarita Levieva and Alexa Swinton will have supporting roles in the film, which was also written by Gilroy. The writer-director is also producing the project with Sanne Wohlenberg and John Gilroy.
Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first replacement incident for this film. Oscar Isaac was originally set to star in Pascal’s role, but Pascal replaced him months later after he exited the project.
It kind of feels like Arnett is having a bit of a resurgence these days — mainly because of his latest project, a well-liked Searchlight dramedy about standup called Is This Thing On? — so it’s great to see him getting another high-profile role where he can show off his skills. Arnett's new film has a huge drama edge, and it’s always fun to see comedic actors remind us they can do both.
Image credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
