In what could be one of the most high profile casts in a long time, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, and Ryan Gosling are set to co-star in THE BIG SHORT for writer/director Adam McKay. Variety reported that all three actors are set to appear in the film based on Michael Lewis' book of the same name. Brad Pitt will produce and appear in the film which shares the same author as his awards contender MONEYBALL.
There is no word on which characters the three leading men will play, but the film will be an ensemble that has been compared to TRAFFIC and THE COUNSELOR. The book followed the events that led up to the recent financial crisis and the key players involved in it. Writer/director McKay is best known for his comedy collaborations with Will Ferrell like ANCHORMAN and TALLADEGA NIGHTS and most recently helped with the script for Marvel's ANT-MAN. THE BIG SHORT would be McKay's first dramatic feature.
Brad Pitt has put together a pretty damn good resume as a producer with his Plan B shingle having had a hand in movies ranging from WORLD WAR Z to FURY and last year’s Best Picture 12 YEARS A SLAVE. THE BIG SHORT seems bound to be an awards contender based on the cast as it stands now. Once more actors join, I have a feeling we will be talking about this one for a while.