Mark O’Brien is best known for his role as dumb ol’ Des on Republic of Doyle, but his IMDB resume has been getting pretty impressive, including his recurring role on the AMC TV series, Halt and Catch Fire.
He also made an appearance in Hannibal. His latest news is that he has joined the cast of The Last Tycoon, a drama based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s final unfinished novel. Other cast members include Enzo Cilenti and Kelsey Grammar (Cheers, Frasier).
O’Brien will play the role of Max Miner – “a displaced down-and-outer who’s livid at his misfortune.” Miner is a homeless man who still looks after his younger siblings, 14 and 8. Amazon Studios – Amazon as in Amazon.ca – will produce the movie, which is inspired by the life of film mogul Irving Thalberg.
“The Last Tycoon centers on Stahr, Hollywood’s first wunderkind studio executive in the 1930s as he climbs to the height of power pitting him against his mentor and current head of the studio Pat Brady, a character based on Louis B. Mayer. With Stahr as a focal point, the series delves into the true violence, sex, and towering ambition of Hollywood in the ’30s.”
The show was originally developed at HBO, and was written by Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, The Hunger Game). This isn’t the first time Fitzgerald’s final novel was brought to the big screen – Elia Kazan directed a version of it in 1976, starring Robert De Niro.
