We learned a couple of months ago Mark Strong will play Sacha Baron Cohen's brother in the upcoming spy spoof GRIMSBY, and now THR is reporting Ian McShane (HERCULES, Deadwood), Gabourey Sidibe (PRECIOUS), David Harewood (BLOOD DIAMOND, Homeland) and English comedian Johnny Vegas (THE LIBERTINE) have joined the project as well.
Director Louis Leterrier (NOW YOU SEE ME, CLASH OF THE TITANS) will be behind the camera for GRIMSBY, and it is based on a script by Sacha Baron Cohen, Phil Johnston and Peter Baynham. The film will follow "a British Black Ops agent (Strong) who is forced to go on the run with his long-lost brother, an English soccer hooligan (Baron Cohen)."
There aren't any details on the new cast members' roles in GRIMSBY, but would you be surprised if it's announced Ian McShane will be playing the villain? All four of the new additions are great in my opinion, however I'm especially happy to see Johnny Vegas joining the film. He's a very funny dude, and if you don't know who he is you should check out some of his stand-up (video below), or his guest appearances on Black Books and Moone Boy.
While there are some who find Sacha Baron Cohen annoying, I've always enjoyed his work even when it hasn't been fantastic (THE DICTATOR) and I'm very interested in checking out GRIMSBY.
GRIMSBY is scheduled to hit theaters on July 31, 2015.