In Rain Man and Bugsy director Barry Levinson’s new film Rock the Kasbah, Murray takes on the role of a rock n’ roll manager who’s left stranded in Afghanistan, only to discover an unlikely talent during his quest to get back home. The first trailer for Rock the Kasbah debuted online this week, and it offers an intriguing peek at the adventure that awaits Murray’s stranger in a strange land.
Based on a script by Mitch Glazer (Scrooged, The Recruit), the film features a great cast that — along with Murray, of course — includes Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down), Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-O), Bruce Willis (Die Hard), and relative newcomer Leem Lubany (Omar). Lubany plays the young girl with an amazing voice that Murray’s character encounters while trying to get home.
“We were blown away by the script for Rock the Kasbah,” said Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films, in a statement that accompanied the trailer’s debut. “[We are] looking forward to working with legendary filmmaker Barry Levinson and this incredible ensemble cast led by the one and only Bill Murray.”
Rock the Kasbah is the second film starring Murray to feature a screenplay by Glazer after 1988’s Scrooged, but the pairing must be a comfortable one for the two filmmakers, as Glazer is also co-writing the upcoming special A Very Murray Christmas featuring the actor. (Glazer also served as an associate producer on Murray’s 2003 film Lost in Translation.)
Rock the Kasbah is scheduled to hit theaters October 23.
