Earlier today, we reported that Olivia Wilde and Alicia Silverstone had joined the cast of the political satire Butter. Variety now reports that Hugh Jackman is also on board to co-star in the film which begins shooting this month. The actor was scheduled to shoot the comedy Avon Man this month in Atlanta but Production Weekly reports [via The Playlist] that the offices for that film have been shut down.
The comedy, directed by Jim Field Smith (She's Out of My League), is based on the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary except instead of running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, it's about a competition to win the title of local butter-carving champion. Jennifer Garner plays an ambitious Midwestern woman whose filandering husband (Ty Burrell) previously won the title. The main competitor of Garner's character is a teenage African-American girl (Yara Shahidi). The cast also includes Ashley Greene (Twilight) and Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine. Jason Micallef's script for the film landed on last year's Black List, which is the list of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. Jackman will play an old flame of Garner's character.
Hit the jump for the official press release.
Here's the official press release:
HUGH JACKMAN AND ALICIA SILVERSTONE SIGN ON FOR "BUTTER"
New York, NY (April 14, 2010) - The Weinstein Company announced today Hugh Jackman and Alicia Silverstone have joined Jennifer Garner in the upcoming film BUTTER.
BUTTER is a comedy set in the Midwest U.S., where an adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman (Garner) in their town's annual contest. BUTTER was written by Jason Micallef and will be directed by Jim Fields Smith. The film is set to start production later this month.
Australian native Hugh Jackman made his first major U.S. film appearance as Wolverine in the first installment of the X-MEN franchise, a role he reprised in the enormously successful X2 and 2006's X-MEN: THE LAST STAND. Most recently, he reprised his role in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE which serves as a prequel to the popular series and grossed an outstanding $85 million domestically in its first weekend of release in May 2009.
In the fall of 2009, Jackman made a return to Broadway in the Keith Huff penned A STEADY RAIN. Co-starring Daniel Craig, the play tells the story of two Chicago cops who are lifelong friends and whose differing accounts of a few traumatic days change their lives forever.
On February 22, 2009, Jackman took on the prestigious role of Oscar host as he fronted the 81st Annual Academy Awards.
Alicia Silverstone is best known for her roles in Hollywood films such as Clueless and her portrayal of Batgirl in Batman & Robin. Her performances have garnered Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and she also won National Board of Review. To top it all off, she is also a New York Times bestselling author!
From January to March 2010, Silverstone starred alongside Laura Linney in Donald Margulies's Time Stands Still on Broadway. Silverstone received rave reviews for her performance as Mandy.
In October 2009, Silverstone released her first book titled THE KIND DIET: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet. The book went to number one on the NY Times bestseller list. In THE KIND DIET, Silverstone shares her journey toward a more conscious way of eating and revealed how it has made her feel better than she ever thought possible. Silverstone is a dedicated advocate on behalf of the planet and its animals.
Alicia was recently cast in the romantic horror-comedy Vamps alongside Sigourney Weaver. Written by Amy Heckerling, the writer-director behind Clueless, the modern-day story focuses on beautiful young vampires who are living the good nightlife in New York
About The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company (TWC) was created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films Corporation in 1979. TWC is a multi-media company that officially launched on October 1, 2005. Dimension Films, the genre label that was founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, is also included under the TWC banner. During the Weinsteins' tenure at Miramax Films, the company released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films which received 249 Academy Award® nominations and won 60 Oscars®, and have generated billions of dollars in worldwide box office receipts and billions more in home video sales. In its history, Dimension Films has released some of the most successful franchises including Scream, Spy Kids and Scary Movie.