Stephen Frears' upcoming gambling dramedy continues to attract the talent, with the news that Vince Vaughn is shambling towards **Lay the Favourite, joining Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake and Rebecca Hall.
The film is based on Beth Raymer's memoir, published last year, of life among gamblers and swindlers in Las Vegas, New York and Curaco during the 2000s (she also wrote her Columbia masters thesis on offshore gambling in Costa Rica). Hall's character is based on Raymer, while Willis is signed on to play Dink Heimowitz, the legendary, ridiculously successful professional gambler Raymer spends time working for.
There's no mention in Variety's story of the role earmarked for Vaughn, but we might speculate that he'd be perfect for Bernard "Rosie" Rose, who didn't direct Candyman, but had made $2.5m through sports gambling by the time he was 19. By the time Raymer encountered him, he was refusing to give suckers an even break as a bookie in Long Island.
We're liking the idea of Willis and Vaughn as a shady, self-loathing gambling double-act, but sadly it doesn't look as if their characters cross paths. Maybe there's potential for a spin-off in there somewhere.
Swansea's Catherine Jones is also signed on to play Mrs Dink, and shooting is due to start shortly, for a release next year.