Jonah Hill to Star in Todd Phillips’ ARMS AND THE DUDES
The Hangover director Todd Phillips has been developing a true crime comedy for awhile now called Arms and the Dudes. THR reports that he has cast Jonah Hill (Moneyball, The Wolf of Wall Street) in the lead role. The Wrap adds that Miles Teller (Whiplash, The Fantastic Four) is being pursued to take on a co-starring role opposite Hill.
Phillips was initially set to just produce the film, but apparently he will now direct it from a script he co-wrote with Jason Smilovic (Lucky Number Slevin). The movie is being adapted from a Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawsom.
The film will tell the story of two stoners from Miami Beach who became arms dealers for the U.S. government. You can read Lawsom’s full article on his official site here.
Both Shia LaBeouf and Jesse Eisenberg were up for the lead role in the movie, but they both dropped out of discussions, and it landed in Hill’s lap. Hill has become quite the great actor, and he has proven that he has a lot of range. He can do the funny comedy roles as well as the heavy dramatic ones. This seems like it will be a great project for him to take on. It would also be awesome to team up with Teller if he ends up being cast.