9 Apr – "Fast and Furious" star Vin Diesel is switching gears, exchanging his fast ride for a halftime walk as he joins the A-list cast of Ang Lee's upcoming "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk". Diesel is the latest actor to board the project, along with "Rush Hour" star Chris Tucker, Deadline reports. The duo will be joining newcomer Joe Alwyn, who will be taking on the main role; Steve Martin; Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart. There is currently no release date set for the movie but production is expected to begin this month. Filming will be done in native 3D and 4K with an ultra-high frame rate. Lee, who previously helmed the visually artistic "Life of Pi", as quoted by JoBlo, said he wanted to create "a new way for audiences to experience drama, including the heightened sensation that soldiers really feel on the battlefield and on the home front."
The movie is an adaptation of Ben Fountain's novel by the same name, which tells the story of 19-year-old private Billy Lynn and Bravo Company surviving a battle in Iraq in 2005. The U.S. administration brings them home for a promotional tour, which leads to them being honoured during Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving halftime show before returning to Iraq. Lee is set to add more big names to his star-studded cast for cameo appearances. As of now, the biggest name is no doubt Vin Diesel, who recently appeared in "Fast and Furious 7". The seventh instalment is set to become the franchise's highest-grossing yet with its current global gross of USD490.5 million. It has been breaking records worldwide including every box office record in Malaysia.