You probably remember Craig Robinson as the scene-stealing big guy from “The Office,” “Pineapple Express,” “Knocked Up” and so many other great comedies. You may soon know him as a star of the upcoming Will Ferrell-Mark Wahlberg comedy “The Other Guys.” And if you do, well…you’re welcome.
“I’m here in New York right now, we’re casting [‘The Other Guys’] and in pre-production,” Adam McKay, the man behind “Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights” and this week’s “The Goods” said when we spoke Wednesday evening. “It’s looking pretty cool; I’m excited about it.” Check out this sneak peek at "The Goods" and then hit the jump for more.
“Basically the idea is that you have your star cops of New York City, picture like a Bruce Willis and Mel Gibson-type pair,” McKay explained. “They’re the guys who get all the car chases, all the girls. But this is the story of the guys in the desk next to them, the other guys. It’s Wahlberg, Ferrell and a big ensemble cast around them, in an action-comedy kinda crime movie.”
Since the hilarious Robinson frequently works with McKay and Ferrell –- and has some instantly classic lines in “The Goods” –- I couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to be in “The Other Guys” as well.
“I would love to get Craig Robinson in there; that’s actually a really good idea,” laughed McKay, lighting up when I mentioned the name. “I forgot about him [during casting], but Craig Robinson’s a really good idea. I’m trying to cast this one role now, and I’d kinda spaced on him, but he would be perfect for it!”
And with that, McKay said he was going to reach out to the “Office” star and offer him the part.
“The premise is you have the stud cops in New York City, and the other cops are the wannabes who want to be the stud cops,” he explained. “So Ferrell and Wahlberg have another pair of cops who are competing with them to be the stars. Rob Riggle is one of them, and I’m trying to cast the guy opposite him –- and Craig Robinson would be great.”
“He’d be perfect for that one role,” McKay added. “So if you see him in that role, it was your call.”
Now, this is the part of the blog where I could toot my own amateur-casting horn, if I were that kind of guy. And although I’d never do that, I will say this: Hey Craig, you owe me ten percent!
Any other casting suggestions you’d like to make as Adam gets ready to shoot “The Other Guys”? As you can see, he’s wide open to ‘em!
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