Okay, while we might prefer the original working title “American Bullshit,” it probably would’ve created a marketing nightmare, so the official replacement? Yeah, it’s not too shabby at all.
Box Office Mojo has revealed that David O. Russell‘s next film will now be called “American Hustle,” a much easier title for the folks at Sony/Columbia Pictures to work with. And what else can we tell you? The movie is one we’re really looking forward to, and it has spawned the best set photos of the year so far. The cast is ace — Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams, Louis C.K., Jennifer Lawrence, Alessandro Nivola, Elisabeth Rohm, Dawn Olivieri, Jack Huston, Michael Pena and Robert De Niro — and the based-on-a-true-story tale is ripe for both comedy and drama, right in Russell’s particular wheelhouse.
The movie follows a financial con artist (Bale) and his mistress/partner in crime (Adams) who are forced to work with an out of control federal agent (Cooper) to turn the tables on other con artists, mobsters and politicians. At the epicenter of the entire tale is the passionate and volatile leader of the New Jersey state assembly (Renner), who is also the local hero and mayor of impoverished Camden.
That’s all for now. “American Hustle” (so good to finally have a name) opens in limited release on December 13th and goes wide on Christmas Day.