Yup, weird, right? We all know that “Inglorious Bastards,” Quentin Tarantino’s sprawling, two-pronged, five chaptered WWII epic started principal photography last week in Germany and today the Weinstein Company have sent a press release about the film confirming most of what we’ve already noted – the cast of the film.
Yes, Omar Doom and Michael Bacall, the bar dudes of “Death Proof” have joined the film, yes, Julie Dreyfus (aka Sophie Fatale) from “Kill Bill” has joined the project. As have German actors, August Diehl and Christian Berkel (great we love these guys).
However, deep diving through the list a little closer and wait, Cloris Leachman TV’s “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and then later on in that show’s spinoff series, “Phyllis,” has joined the cast?? Odd (Quentin probably loved her in “Young Frankenstein,” but knowing him something much more obscure).
Leachman, who recently appeared on “Dancing With the Stars,” is 82-years-old. So does that mean, she’s playing Madame Mimieux, the French patrician doyenne of the cinematheque who takes in the young protagonist, Shosanna, when the Nazis are after her?? A role that was evidently originally going to go to Isabelle Huppert and then was rumored for Catherine Deneuve??
Sounds like Leachman has got the gig, huh? There’s no other elderly women in the script unless there has been some crazy re-write. Does this mean the role has been quickly re-written for a English expat? Or is Leachman learning French? (or is she fluent, hey, people have hobbies…). Our guess is the character has been transformed into an American, but who knows.
While the German papers have rumored many of these actors, the press release also confirms the additions of Gedeon Burkhard (rumored to play the Austrian-American Basterd Sgt. Wilhelm Wicki), Sylvester Groth (he played Joseph Goebbels in the German comedy “Mein Führer” in 2007), German actor Martin Wuttke (“The Legend Of Rita”), Richard Sammel (a villain in “Casino Royale” the remake), Sönke Möhring, French actor Denis Menochet and Australian actor Rod Taylor who is 72 years old (“The Birds,” “The Picture Show Man”).
The press release also confirms that the film is set for a 2009 release, but there is no specific release date. And as predicted the titled is being spelled “Inglourious Basterds” (sic), incorrectly on purpose.
A synopsis for those that don’t know already.
‘Inglourious Basterds’ begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema.
Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as “The Basterds,” Raine’s squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own…