Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a bit of a clumsy title, so I’m going to do my best not to write it out too many times in the paragraphs that follow, but just a week after director Ang Lee cast newcomer Joe Alwyn in the title role for his latest film, The Wrap reports veteran Steve Martin has officially signed on for the project.
[amz asin=”B00655KLOY” size=”small”]The film is an adaptation of Ben Fountain‘s bestselling novel and centers on Billy Lynn (Alwyn) and his Bravo squad mates, who become heroes thanks to footage of the team’s firefight against Iraqi insurgents taken by an embedded Fox News crew. The president brings the soldiers home for a victory tour before heading back to the frontlines, which includes a stop at a Thanksgiving Day football game at Texas Stadium where the men are wooed by Hollywood producers, smitten by Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, and share a stage at halftime with Beyonce.
Martin’s role isn’t yet confirmed but he is presumed to be playing one of those Hollywood producers, Albert, who wishes to turn the Bravo company’s story into a feature film. Garrett Hedlund (Unbroken) is also being targeted for a role in the film as Billy’s “moody, hard-as-nails drill sergeant.” The screenplay was adapted from Fountain’s novel by Simon Beaufoy, who won an Oscar for scripting Slumdog Millionaire.
