Will Arnett has little to prove by this stage of his career. The Ontarian has been one of Canada’s premier actors and comedians ever since his hilarious 2003 breakthrough performance as George Oscar “Gob” Bluth II in the groundbreaking comedy series Arrested Development and has not looked back since, appearing in numerous notable comedies such as Blades of Glory and Hot Rod (both 2007), Men in Black 3 (2012), a hilarious recurring role on 30 Rock, and he even starred as Vern Fenwick in Michael Bay’s live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
However, Arnett has also proven to be a gifted voice actor, having lent his uniquely raspy tone to countless animated features like Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ratatouille (2007), Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), and Despicable Me (2010). 2014 was a particularly pivotal year for Arnett, as he not only voiced the lead character in the box office hit The Nut Job, but he also debuted in his two most iconic voice roles, Batman in The Lego Movie and BoJack Horseman in the adult animated TV show of the same name. Arnett has since become the go-to voice for the Lego rendition of Batman, even getting his own solo outing, Lego Batman in 2017, not to mention BoJack Horseman now stands as one of the most acclaimed animated shows of the 21st century.
Despite all his success in comedy and voice acting, Arnett is still broadening his creative horizons, having recently branched out into a more dramatic role for Is This Thing On?, which released on December 19th and was co-written and co-produced by Arnett alongside Bradley Cooper, who also directed the dramedy. He starred opposite Oscar-winning actress Laura Dern, and the film opened to very positive reception from critics, who singled out Arnett’s uncharacteristic dramatic turn as one its main highlights. Arnett certainly turned a few major industry heads with his performance too, as not even a month after the release of Is This Thing On?, Arnett has already been cast in the upcoming drama film, Behemoth!, which is written and directed by Tony Gilroy.
Gilroy began his career as a screenwriter in the 1990s, penning films such as Dolores Claiborne (1996) and The Devil’s Advocate (1997), before going on to write the first four films in the popular and influential Bourne franchise. After having written the initial three Bourne entries, in 2007 Gilroy made his directorial debut with the legal thriller Michael Clayton, which earned seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay nods for Gilroy.
Then, in 2016 Gilroy co-wrote the screenplay for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and was even brought in as an uncredited director during reshoots of the allegedly troubled production, delivering what is certainly one of the most striking and darkly complex entries in the entire Star Wars franchise. Gilroy would later return to work for Disney, serving as the creator, showrunner, head writer, and an executive producer on the spinoff TV show Andor, which concluded its second and final season just last year, and already it is recognized as not just one of the very best Star Wars instalments, but also one of the greatest science fiction shows ever made.
As such, Arnett has just been cast in a supporting role by one of the most revered creatives in Hollywood, in what can be a true turning point this far into the actor’s career, and he will be joining heavy hitters Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, and Matthew Lillard. Stranger Things actor David Harbour was originally cast in Arnett’s role, but he reportedly decided to drop out of the project due to being “overwhelmed” by the rollout of the final season of the show that truly launched his own career. Though, it is also possible that the release of the album West End Girl by Harbour’s estranged wife Lily Allen, which painted him in a revealing and entirely unflattering light, contributed to the actor’s decision.
Whatever the case, Harnour’s exit from the project has paved the way for Will Arnett’s next big opportunity in his more dramatic endeavors.