NBC Peacock has announced that Billy Zane, along with Joseph Lee Anderson and Timothy V. Murphy, have joined the cast of the upcoming “MacGruber” series. They will be joining Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Laurence Fishburn, and Sam Elliot.
Zane, in a possibly brilliant recasting, will be taking over the role of Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth from Mickey Rourke.
Zane’s feature film debut was in the cult classic “Critters,” but rose to fame for his role in “Titanic”. He also starred in the highly underrated superhero film “The Phantom.” Some of his other TV credits include “Guilt,” “Deception,” “The Boys,” and “Samantha Who?” He’ll next be starring as Marlon Brando in the Bill Fisherman written and directed “Waltzing with Brando.”
Who is MacGruber?
Originally a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, MacGruber is a parody of the action-adventure television series “MacGyver.” The first sketch aired in January 2007, and continued to air for the next two years. In 2009, the segments were spun into a series of commercials, sponsored by Pepsi for Super Bowl XLIII. These commercials featured MacGyver himself, Richard Dean Anderson, as MacGruber’s father. A film of the same name followed released May 21, 2010. Originally a box-office bomb, the film has gone on to garner cult classic status.
What Will it be About?
The series follows the ultra patriotic MacGruber (Forte) released from a decades long prison stretch to combat a mysterious villain from his past. None other than, Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth (Zane). Joining him in his quest against evil is Vicki St. Elmo (Wiig) and Dixon Piper (Phillippe).
Overseeing MacGruber’s dangerous mission is General Faboose (Fishburne). He will be accompanied by Major Harold Kurnst (Anderson).
Once again, returning to terrorize MacGruber is Constantine Bach (Murphy). Murphy originally portrayed the character in the MacGruber film, as a henchman of Dieter Avon Cunth(Val Kilmer). However, don’t expect a return of this character. Because if you are a fan of the film, you should know what happens.
Forte is returning as writer and executive producer. Joining him are executive producers and directors John Solomon and Jorma Taccone. Other executive producers include Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn, Andrew Singer, and Erin David.
Known for its over the top hijinx, this cast looks very promising. And with the original writers and director returning, hilarity is bound to ensue. In short, this is definitely one show you don’t want to miss. We’ll let you know what we hear about a release date.
