https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgqG3ITMv1Q
Michael Lewis's nonfiction books have proven fruitful territory for film adaptations. The Blind Side got Sandra Bullock an Oscar. Moneyball got Brad Pitt a handful of nominations and plenty more accolades. And now the adaptation of Lewis' book on the subprime mortgage crisis, The Big Short, is set to hit theaters by Christmas. Directed by Adam McKay, the film shows the other side of HBO's Too Big To Fail—which portrayed the financial meltdown from within the US government, various banks, and other corporations—following the people who saw the crash coming and bet against the US economy. Christian Bale is ex-neurologist and Scion Capital founder Michael Burry, who is blind in one eye and has Asperger's syndrome; Steve Carrell is hedge fund manager Steve Eisman; Ryan Gosling is Deutsche Bank trader Greg Lippmann; and Brad Pitt is Ben Hockett, one of the founders of Cornwall Capital. This trailer is a bit of a sausage fest—though Marisa Tomei and Melissa Leo are also in the cast—but it conveys the same kind of ragtag, A-Team ensemble dramedy that could make some noise come awards season. Which makes a lot of sense, since the film was originally slated for 2016 before Paramount moved it up, demonstrating bullish confidence.
Pause at: 1:08 to catch Melissa Leo. 1:56 to see Brad Pitt sporting a salt and pepper beard/hairstyle combo that looks like a Rusty disguise from his Ocean's 11 days.
Song:: Led Zeppelin, "When the Levee Breaks"
Essential Quote: "Tell me the difference between stupid and illegal and I'll have my wife's brother arrested."—Greg Lippmann (Gosling)
