Jack Black And Tim Robbins Head To ‘The Brink’ For HBO And Jay Roach
After chronicling the 2000 Bush-Gore debacle with 2008’sRecountand John McCain’s failed 2008 presidential run with last year’sGame Change,Jay Roachis once again diving into the world of politics for HBO. But this time, the crisis being depicted is totally fictional.
Roach has just castJack BlackandTim Robbinsin the HBO comedy pilotThe Brink, about three “disparate and desperate” men facing the possibility of World War III. More plot details after the jump.
Robbins will play U.S. Secretary of State Walter Hollander, described as “a man of big appetites and little patience for the war mongers in the Situation Room.” Black has been cast as low-level foreign service officer Alex Coppins, who unwillingly gets caught up in the geopolitical mess. The third lead, that of top Navy fighter pilot Zeke Callahan, has not yet been cast.
Black has done several TV guest stints over the years, and he (along with bandmate Kyle Gass) led the brief HBO seriesTenacious Din the late ’90s. More recently, though, he’s been known for big-screen work likeBernie,Gulliver’s Travels, andYear One. He next appears in Jake Kasdan’sSex Tapeand will return to voice Po forKung Fu Panda 3.
Robbins also got his start doing TV guest spots, back in the ’80s. While he’s since established a much bigger career as a cinematic leading man, he’s continued to crop up on the small screen from time to time, most recently on two episodes ofPortlandia. He was last seen in the sex addiction dramedyThanks for Sharingand will next star in theJackie Brownsorta-prequelThe Switch.
The pair have worked together several times in the past. Robbins directed Black inBob Roberts,Dead Man Walking, andCradle Will Rock, and the pair shared a bit of screentime in 2000’sHigh Fidelity. In 2006, Robbins appeared in Tenacious D inThe Pick of Destiny, which Black wrote, produced, and starred in.
