Writer Lee Kirk is making his directorial debut with the offbeat romantic comedy The Giant Mechanical Man and with filming in Detroit underway, the final casting pieces have now been set in place. Joining Jenna Fischer, Topher Grace, Malin Akerman and Chris Messina are You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger’s Lucy Punch and AMC stars Bob Odenkirk of Breaking Bad and Rich Sommer of Mad Men. Taggart Productions’ Molly Hassell and Michael Nardelli will produce along with exec producers Brent Stiefel, Michael Gallant, Michael Cowan and Timothy Nardelli.
Gist: The film that centers on two outsiders—a misunderstood street performer (Messina) and the soft-spoken zoo worker who falls for him (Fischer). Akerman will play Fischer’s well-meaning sister who pushes her towards dating a pompous motivational speaker, played by Grace. Punch will play Messina’s girlfriend but Odenkirk and Sommer’s roles are still up in the air.
Worth Noting: Fischer, who will also serve as producer, married Kirk this past summer. That’s pretty pertinent information considering, that until now, Kirk was best known for writing and starring in Pants on Fire.
Do We Care?: Maybe. For a first time director, it’s a pretty interesting cast that’s being assembled. Let’s just hope the wacky plot, and the fact that it’s a romantic comedy, can serve as a platform for all these actors to flaunt their comedic talent.
