Fresh off his role as the hotheaded Sergeant Howell in Mel Gibson’s WWII epic Hacksaw Ridge, Vince Vaughn has closed a deal to board Fighting With My Family, the buzzworthy wrestling pic set to document the life and career of WWE superstar Paige.
Confirmation of Vaughn’s casting comes to us via Dwayne Johnson’s Instagram feed – ever a hive of activity – and we understand the former WWE star will hold a small cameo role in the upcoming drama. Stephen Merchant of The Office fame will write and direct Fighting With My Family, presiding over a starry cast that features Jack Lowden (Paige’s brother Jack), Lena Headey (Julia, Paige’s mother) and Nick Frost, who climbed on board alongside the Game of Thrones actress to portray Paige’s father, Ricky.
Indeed, The Rock’s Instagram post does offer up some enticing details relating to Vaughn’s character. He’ll portray an ’80s burnout, essentially, a former wrestler who “squandered his money and opportunities because he didn’t have the capacity to handle his fame.” It has all the makings of a juicy, nuanced role for Vince Vaughn, and we’re excited to hear that the actor will be extending his stretch in the realm of character-driven drama following Hacksaw Ridge.
This casting coup also heralds a reunion for Vaughn and Dwayne Johnson, who last collaborated for Get Shorty sequel, Be Cool. Fighting With My Family is worlds away from F. Gary Gray’s crime caper though, and we understand production will get going in earnest tomorrow, with more casting news to come.
As for Vince Vaughn, the actor has already teed up another project with Mel Gibson. They’ll reteam for Dragged Across Concrete, a button-pressing drama revolving around police brutality.