Sacha Baron Cohen to star in David O. Russell’s ‘Super Toys’ alongside Keke Palme
Sacha Baron Cohen is set to appear in David O. Russell’s latest picture opposite Keke Palmer. Written and directed by Russell, Super Toys stars the two actors as two “groovy ’70s toy sales reps on a life-and-death mission to save themselves, their marriage and their live-wire 12-year-old daughter while on the road in Middle America”.
Keke Palmer is currently celebrating an incredibly successful year, so the news is well-timed. The actor’s critically acclaimed performance as Emerald Haywood in Jordan Peele’s 2022 picture Nope won her the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award at the New York Film Critics Circle, while her appearances in both Aliceyy tutu in the New and Lightyear – both released in 2022 – have also received rave reviews.
Meanwhile, Baron Cohen earned two Oscar nominations in 2021 for his performance in The Trial of the Chicago ” and the Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. The actor, director and writer also his lent his voice to Pixar’s Luca and is set to narrate the Cartoon Network animation Chelm: The Smartest Place on Earth.
Since the release of Russell’s most recent film, Amsterdam, much has been made of the director’s past conflicts with fellow members of the industry. As we explored in our “The many controversies of David O. Russell” feature, allegations of violence have haunted the director since the start of his career.
During a conversation with EW, George Clooney recalled how the director threw an extra onto the floor while filming a scene for 1999’s Three Kings. “We were trying to get a shot, and then he went berserk. He went nuts on an extra,” the actor said. Clooney then went over to confront Russell, at which point a fight broke out. “Will I work with David ever again? Absolutely not,” he said. “Never. Do I think he’s tremendously talented, and do I think he should be nominated for Oscars? Yeah.”
The first trailer for Super Toys is still to be released. We’ll keep you up to date as things progress.
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