Bill Murray has definitely been on an inspirational bent lately, starring in sweet-toothed, faith-in-humanity fare like Aloha and St. Vincent, and the trailer for his upcoming Rock the Kasbah indicates another step in that same direction. The actor stars as a down-on-his-luck rock manager who gets stranded in the Middle East, only to stumble across a young girl with extraordinary natural talent.
The trailer doesn’t make Rock the Kasbah look like anything particularly revelatory, but it should be perfect fodder for heart-warmer fans, and Murray is always terrific in the type of role he’s playing here.
The official synopsis reads as follows:
“Rock The Kasbah” is the story of Richie Lanz (Bill Murray), a rock manager with a golden ear and a taste for talent, who has seen better times. When he takes his last remaining client on a USO tour of Afghanistan, she gets cold feet and leaves him penniless and without his passport in Kabul. While trying to find his way home, Richie befriends a band of misfits and discovers a young girl with an extraordinary voice. Against all odds, Richie will take his last shot at creating an unlikely superstar.
Frequent Murray collaborator Mitch Glazer (Magic City, Scrooged) wrote the script, and Rain Man‘s Barry Levinson is sitting behind the camera. Though Murray is definitely running the show here, the pic also boasts a very solid supporting cast in Zooey Deschanel (rarely seen in Hollywood since the start of her Fox sitcom New Girl), Kate Hudson, Sarah Baker, Danny McBride, Scott Caan and Bruce Willis.
Rock the Kasbah will rock its way into theaters on October 23.
