Since taking over the stewardship of Warner Bros.' planned film version of stage musical Jersey Boys, Clint Eastwood has announced that he’ll eschew star names for the leading roles and select people who have been performing well in the show. But he still needs some known folk to back up the main cast, and has picked Christopher Walken as his first selection.
Walken is on to play Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo, the Jersey mobster who, in the show, served an unofficial consigliere role to the young singers as they tried to build their careers without falling into the grip of organised crime.
Eastwood’s clearly looking to exploit the actor’s musical chops, as he’s an accomplished dancer and would add some intriguing oddball energy to the film. Though no official announcement has been made, it appears the director apparently wants board-treading veterans Vincent Piazza, John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen, and Michael Lomenda as his Four Seasons.
The jukebox musical film is scheduled to begin shooting in September, with Eastwood working off a script by John Logan and Rick Elice. Walken will next be seen as Zeus in Gods Behaving Badly.