Brad Pitt Cast in Sandra Bullock's The Lost City Thanks to The Actor's Hairdresser
Sandra Bullock says her hairdresser is to thank for Brad Pitt's casting in the upcoming action-adventure The Lost City. Slated to hit theaters on March 25, the comedy centers on Loretta Sage (Bullock), an unhappy novelist who specializes in romance-adventure stories about a dashing treasure hunter. The film is inspired by past swashbuckling adventure films such as Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones series and Romancing the Stone by Robert Zemekis, also about a romance novelist who goes on a jungle adventure with the help of a handsome guide.
In The Lost City, Bullock is joined by Channing Tatum as the witless Alan Caprison, the Fabio-esque cover model for the debonair main character of her book series Dash McMahon. During a book tour of the author's latest release, Loretta is kidnapped by the eccentric billionaire Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) who believes the lost city described in the author's new book is real and seeks her help to find it. In an effort to prove to Loretta, and to himself, that he is the hero that his fans believe him to be, Alan sets off on a one-man mission to save the author. In previous The Lost City trailers, Pitt appears as a handsome agent also intent on saving Loretta, to Alan's chagrin.
THR reports that Pitt has both his and Bullock's hairdresser, Janine Thompson, to thank for his appearance in upcoming comedy romp. In search of the perfect cast for a specific role in the upcoming film, Thompson stepped in as casting director to secure the part for Pitt. After the film's premiere at the SXSW film festival, Bullock explained that, "[Pitt] and I have the same hairdresser and she told him to do my movie and she told me to do his movie...That is — honest to god — the truth."
Bullock further explained that the casting department went through "a whole litany" of actors for the part, joking that Pitt was the "eighth choice." But The Lost City director Adam Nee clarified that Pitt was always on their minds for the role of the ridiculously handsome former Navy Seal and CIA agent Jack Trainer, a mercenary hired to free Bullock from captivity. Nee says that approaching Pitt felt "ridiculous," most likely due to the star's prestige as a Hollywood superstar. Luckily for all parties involved, the actor's shared hairdresser took the leap where the director could not.
The Lost City joins both the video game adaptation Uncharted and the Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds buddy comedy Red Notice in recent releases of the treasure-hunting adventure genre. Both films enjoyed strong ratings, with Uncharted being 2022's first US box office hit, bringing in over $301.3 million. Similarly, Red Notice being one of the most-watched Netflix films in the streaming service's history upon its release in 2021. If The Lost City can tap into the success of these films, the Bullock-led project has a chance to score big in theaters, with a stacked ensemble cast that is sure to deliver a hit.
Source: THR