The beauty about Werner Herzog and his films is that you never quite know what you’re going to get from the director. The fact that his next film, Vernon God Little, is being touted as a school shooting comedy is just an example. But perhaps the more unexpected news coming out of this project is Herzog’s casting picks for the film: Russell Brand, Pamela Anderson and Mike Tyson.
The film, written by Andrew Birkin (Perfume, Joan of Arc, Omen III) and based on the book by DBC Pierre, is a largely satirical story following a loner named Jesus Navarro who shoots six of his classmates and kills himself after being bullied at school. But after the tragedy, suspicions start to fall on Jesus’ best friend, a kid named Vernon; his world falls apart into a swirl of betrayal and paranoia. While that seems a little less than conventional fare for a comedy, Herzog would be the man to bring the story to life.
Taking on the part of Veron is Austin Abrams, with Sasha Pieterse playing his love interest. Brand will step in to play a ruthless and invasive reporter desperate to find a winning angle on the school shooting. It seems like a fitting role for the comedian, who has made his name in film by playing brash and outspoken men like those seen in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. Under Herzog, it will be interesting to see how Brand hones his humor and his energy into something a little different than a manic rock star.
As for Anderson and Tyson, their roles are not clear at this point. Tyson, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is “to star as the axe murderer” in the film, though there’s no information as to how that killer plays into the larger school shooting plot. However, he does apparently deliver the line of dialogue that reveals the film’s title.
Anderson’s role isn’t being revealed yet, but with Brand as a reporter and Tyson as an axe murderer, it’s sure to be inspired.
Sources: The Playlist/ THR
