Christopher Walken has proven over the years that he can play a variety of roles. He can do dramas, comedies and even musicals. Those who loved Walken in Hairspray will get to see the actor in another musical courtesy of Clint Eastwood.
It’s being reported today that Walken has been cast in Eastwood’s film adaptation of the Broadway musical Jersey Boys. The actor will be taking on the role of Angelo ‘Gyp’ DeCarlo – a mobster that becomes a mentor to the four singers who will eventually form The Four Seasons.
For those unfamiliar with Jersey Boys, it’s a Broadway musical framed as a documentary that details the formation of The Four Seasons. It originally opened on Broadway in 2005 to rave reviews and it even won four Tony Awards in 2006, including Best Musical.
As for the other members of the cast, Eastwood decided not to pick A-list stars, but rather choose those who were already performing the musical. To that end, he cast Vincent Piazza, John Lloyd Young, Erich Bergen and Michael Lomenda in the four lead roles.
If you want a preview of what’s to come, check out Walken’s now classic performance in Fatboy Slim’s music video for Weapon of Choice:
Oh, and if you want a preview of Jersey Boys, here’s the cast’s performance at 2006 Tony Awards:
[h/t: Deadline] [Image: John Harrison/flickr]