…and then there’s Nick Nolte, the two-time Academy Award nominee who seemed to be in every movie in the ’90s and then hit a weird patch in the aughts where he was less in demand (even though 2002’s “The Good Thief” features one of his finest performances), but seems to be be back to his ever-busy ways. While we’ll ignore the fact that he was in “Arthur” and “The Zookeeper” this year, he’s got the hotly buzzed “Warrior” and the highly anticipated Michael Mann/HBO series “Luck” on the horizon and he recently came aboard the Robert Redford/Shia LaBeouf vehicle “The Company You Keep.” And while we may not approve too highly of his next move, his grizzled technique is only sure to elevate the proceedings.
Over on Twitter, Michael Chiklis and Wendell Pierce — both co-stars of upcoming Jason Statham flick “Parker” — hit their accounts to express their joy on starting production, revealing Nolte’s casting in the process. “I’m shooting PARKER with Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Micheal Chiklis, and Nick Nolte. First day tomorrow!” Pierce tweeted, with Chiklis stating, “…#JasonStatham, #J-Lo, #NickNolte and yours truly…cool flick.”
Directed by Taylor Hackford, the thriller is based on the character created by Donald E. Westlake—portrayed on screen already by Mel Gibson in “Payback” and Lee Marvin in “Point Blank”—and rather than being based on any single book, this Parker will be lifted and plopped into a fresh adventure in a script by John J. McLaughlin, who co-wrote “Black Swan.” Jennifer Lopez and Clifton Collins Jr. co-star in the film which as you probably know by now, has started filming. No word yet on Nolte’s role, but he can definitely out-growl anybody else on the set. We don’t expect anything more than a routine Statham flick, but we have to admit this cast is pretty solid, so we remain very cautiously intrigued.