Sam Rockwell, so luminous in Duncan Jones’ Moon last year, has a great presence on screen, and he can easily add a much needed third dimension to some of the roles he chooses – Iron Man 2 is a recent example.
Whenever he orbits a new project, my attention is drawn and the news from Deadline tonight is that Rockwell is talking to the people behind the comedy Sweet Baby Jesus, primarily about the role of Joe, the boyfriend of a pregnant girl called Mary who he is taking to a place called Bethlehem in deepest Maryland.
You can pretty much guess the rest of the plot, suffice to say that religious hysteria will ensue. The cast Rockwell may be joining is nicely eclectic with Bette Midler and Kim Cattrall apparently on board, joining the young British pop ‘current big thing’ Pixie Lott who is up for playing the girlfriend. Bill Nighy and Robbie Coltrane are also rumoured to be involved somewhere.
Peter Hewitt is directing the film and having Rockwell in the lead will no doubt go a long way to drawing a decent size cinematic congregation.
