Will Ferrell finds a cast for his next flick

I may be in the minority on this but I actually liked Will Ferrell’s last foray into drama, the quirky STRANGER THAN FICTION. Sure it had its problems but in the end, I wound up a fan. If you’re gonna bitch at Ferrell for playing the same goofball character in his comedies, you gotta give him some credit for working outside the box. But alas, people don’t seem ready to do that. There’s already a considerable amount of grief online about his starring role in EVERYTHING MUST GO.

Normally an actor’s involvement in an indie film wouldn’t kick up much dust but EVERYTHING, written by Dan Rush, is something of a beloved script that made the rounds in late 2008. There were many who said it was the best spec script of the year and it almost immediately caught the eye of Ferrell who quickly signed on to star (with many questioning if he was right for the role). Regardless, filming is set to begin this year and he’s now got himself a co-star.

Rebecca Hall, whose worked with a number of high-profile directors like Woody Allen, Ron Howard and Christopher Nolan, has signed on to play Ferrell’s quasi-love interest in the film. Ferrell stars as a guy who gets fired from his job and comes home to find his wife has kicked him out and moved all his belongings onto the front yard. Unable to cope, he starts living in his own front yard, spending time in his beloved recliner. Hall will star as Samantha, a young pregnant woman who moves in across the street and forges a friendship with Ferrell and eventually helps him move on (though possibly not in the way you’d expect).

UPDATE – Filming actually begins this week in Arizona. In addition to Hall, Michael Pena, Christopher Wallace and Laura Dern have also joined the cast.

Rush, who wrote the script, will make his directorial debut on the film. It’s unclear exactly when filming would begin but when I talked to Ferrell on the set of THE OTHER GUYS he said that this would be his next project.