After some run-of-the-mill though cherished comedies in the 80’s and 90’s, Bill Murray’s career took an interesting turn in his much lauded performance in Lost in Translation. Ever since then pretty much every role he’s chosen has been unique and yet perfect for the actor (even his turn as Garfield was genius casting even though the movie itself sucked). Murray keeps his interesting choices coming as Heat Vision reports that he has been cast as the villain in Mitch Glazer’s romantic thriller Passion Play, which is shooting in New Mexico. Murray joins Megan Fox and Mickey Rourke in, quite literally, one circus freak of a story.The period story tells the tale of a down-on-his-luck jazz trumpet player (Rourke) who forms a bond with a winged beauty (Fox) who’s now part of a sideshow attraction at a carnival (see photo above). He finds some sort of redemption in his life when he saves this “angel” from a seedy gangster named Happy (Murray) who’s intent on keeping them apart. Glazer (who also wrote the screenplay) worked with Murray as writer of the holiday comedy Scrooged. The concept itself doesn’t exactly sound like the most subtle of dramas, with the metaphor of an angel bringing about redemption, but with a cast like this, I can’t help but be intrigued.

This project is already shooting, and that photo at the top is actually from the set in New Mexico. Murray was hired to replace Toby Kebbell as the murderous mobster in this film. Quite a huge age difference for the character, but I’m sure they can make it work. We’ll be following this project as it continues shooting.

Source: First Showing