Bradley Cooper’s breakup dramaIs This Thing On?adds an Oscar-nominated star to the cast. Already a three-time Oscar nominee himself for his performances inSilver Linings Playbook,American HustleandAmerican Sniper, Cooper took it to the next level by garnering three nominations in one year for his blockbusterremake ofA Star Is Born. Cooper’s follow-upMaestrosnagged him an actor and screenplay nomination, and the multi-hyphenate will try for Oscar gold again with his upcoming projectIs This Thing On?
Cooper’s next movie looks like a potential contender in at least one acting category, as it just added another past nominee in Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday). Details of Day’s role have not been revealed (viaVariety).
What Day’s Casting Means For Is This Thing On?
The Movie’s Cast Is Becoming Quite Stacked
Cooper will apply many of his skills to his upcoming film, performing, directing and, for the first time, acting as a camera operator. Unlike on his previous two Oscar-nominated acting/directing efforts, Cooper will not take the lead inIs This Thing On?, relegating himself to a supporting role.The leads instead go to Will Arnett and Laura Dern, playing a couple dealing with the unraveling of their marriage, with Sean Hayes also onboard in a secondary role.
Is This Thing On?was co-written by Arnett and Mark Chappell, with a logline that reads “Alex (Arnett) seeks new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family — forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.”
The addition ofThe United States vs. Billie Holiday’s Day givesIs This Thing On?a roster of actors with impressive resumes, including that of Dern, who boasts a win forMarriage Story. Day lost the 2020 Oscar race to Frances McDormand (Nomadland), but the multi-talented performer does have plenty of other statues on her shelf, including a Golden Globe for her Billie Holiday performance, and a Grammy for that movie’s soundtrack.
Our Take On Day Joining Cooper In Is This Thing On?
Might Is This Thing On? Be Cooper’s Annie Hall?
Cooper’s 12 nominations across multiple categories make him one of the Academy’s favorite multi-hyphenates of recent vintage. Unfortunately, though the Academy loves acknowledging Cooper’s work with nominations, it has yet to bestow upon him a single gold statue.
Cooper’sartsy biopicMaestrolooked like the major Oscar play that would finally garner him a win, but the movie was completely shut out, despite 7 nominations. The star-turned-auteur changes gears for hisMaestrofollow-up, tackling not a renowned real-life figure like Leonard Bernstein, but a fictional couple dealing with familiar problems.
Cooper won’t get a writing Oscar forIs This Thing On?, nor will he be nominated for Best Actor, but Best Director and Best Supporting Actor are both in play. Cooper’s directorial efforts will certainly be aided by having acclaimed stars the likes of Dern and Day in the cast. The movie’s logline suggests Cooper’s new movie will wade into Woody Allen territory, dealing with relationships in a way both comedic and dramatic. Allen cracked the code for unlocking the Academy’s love,and Cooper perhaps hopes that by emulating theAnnie Hallauteur, he can finally do so himself.
