Can Cameron Diaz Actually Act? She’ll Have to If She Joins Ridley Scott’s ‘The Counselor’

By  · Published on May 9th, 2012

We’ve been pretty closely following the development and casting news of Ridley Scott’s The Counselor (written by no less than Cormac McCarthy), and while the bulk of casting so far has been quite exciting (Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt, to name the big guns), this is the first rumor that gives us pause. Twitch Film is reporting that Cameron Diaz has landed a role in the film, one Angelina Jolie was once hotly pursuing. The role of Malkina is one of two big female parts in the film, making this one of Diaz’s most juicy (and somewhat unexpected) gigs yet.

While Diaz has yet to show that she’s capable of truly carrying a dark and dramatic role on her own, she has dipped her toe in interesting fare, stuff like The Box, Gangs of New York, and Being John Malkovich. She’s also continued to work on her comedic talents, showing a sort of weird fearlessness in recent roles, particularly the not-so-flattering Bad Teacher. And, hell, she’s even playing the female lead in the Coen brothers-penned Gambit remake, so perhaps Diaz is ready to take the next step in her acting career.

The Counselor was first announced in February, coming from an original script from McCarthy that reportedly centers on “a respected lawyer who thinks he can dip a toe in to the drug business without getting sucked down. It is a bad decision and he tries his best to survive it and get out of a desperate situation.” Michael Fassbender was quickly locked for the lead role, and since then, it’s been nothing but casting rumors, including names like Natalie Portman, Jeremy Renner, Bardem, Pitt, Jolie, and Penelope Cruz. Pitt, Bardem, and Cruz are all set for the film, and with the addition of Diaz, it looks as if all principal casting is complete. Now let’s get this thing made.

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