EXCLUSIVE: Sean Penn In Talks For �Inherent Vice'

With its huge cast of 20+ characters, "Inherent Vice" is shaping up to be PTA's most star-studded effort since "Magnolia" back in 1999. After that film, PTA's ensembles began to feature a few stars at the center supported by less recognizable faces, eschewing his '90s ensemble of players for performers who could lend his films a more grounded realism. (PDL: Sandler, Watson & Hoffman, TWBB: Day-Lewis & Dano, The Master: Phoenix, Hoffman & Adams.) But after three features in that mode, his latest appears to be another left turn, with star after star joining the project. Let's run down the cast so far: Joaquin Phoenix, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Martin Short and Kevin O'Connor. Though its likely the remainder of the roles have been locked for weeks, PTA and co. have been keeping any official announcements completely under wraps. So in lieu of a press release, we've had to do a little digging and come back with some pretty huge news.

We first heard the whispers online and have now gotten word from a source close to production that Sean Penn may be joining the film in an as-yet-undisclosed role. If we were to take a guess, we'd say it's likely Penn is being targeted for Adrian Prussia, a powerful loan shark known to get violent when not compensated properly. This is especially exciting news for those longtime C&RV readers who will remember that Penn was originally supposed to play the role of Dean Trumbell in "Punch-Drunk Love" with Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly originally slated to play two of the brothers. But Penn was forced to drop out of the film, Hoffman took the role and a PTA-Penn collaboration had to be put on hold for a decade. Filming on 'Vice' is set to get underway very shortly so there should be some more casting announcements yet to come. And if you're involved with the production, why don't you drop us a line?

Fun facts: Sean will be the third fourth member of the Penn family to work with PTA. Sean's brother Michael Penn was responsible for the scores for "Hard Eight" (along with Jon Brion) and "Boogie Nights" (and is married to Aimee Mann), their late brother actor Chris Penn starred in the elusive "Flagpole Special" short back in 1998 and their mother Eileen Ryan appeared in "Magnolia" as Mary.

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