Barry Pepper, the man, the legend! It’s been announced that THN favourite Pepper is due to join the Jeremy Renner pic KILL THE MESSENGER. He’s recently turned up in SNITCH and THE LONE RANGER and now he’s signed on for Michael Cuesta’s factually-based film. Cuesta has been behind a lot of TV including Dexter and a massive favourite of mine in the shape of Homeland.
Pepper is set to play prosecutor Russell Dodson, the man who was told to keep quiet about the CIA’s links to huge amounts of cocaine coming into the USA via Nicaraguan contras. His role in the based-on-real-life drama was to stop investigative reporter Gary Webb, played here by Jeremy Renner, from running stories on what was happening.
It’s very early days in terms of trailers as production literally begins this week but I think it’ll be good for Renner to get absorbed by a new and intriguing sounding role, we’re also sure that Pepper will be perfect as his antagonist. The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Paz Vega and Michael Kenneth Williams and is set for a 2014 release.
