Russell Brand is no stranger to playing rock stars; his big breakout role was as addled superstar Aldous Snow in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," which proved so popular that he ended up landing his own spinoff film, "Get Him to the Greek." So the guy has some experience rocking out.
But is he ready for a sing-off with Tom Cruise?
That's the unlikely question we may soon get an answer to, because according to Deadline, Brand is in talks for a key part in the upcoming big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical "Rock of Ages" -- and Cruise could be matching him note for note.
Here's the poop: "Rock of Ages," which was nominated for four Tony Awards, is a rollicking retrospective of '80s power pop and hair metal that tells the story of a group of wannabe and has been musicians and the ways their lives intertwine at a Sunset Strip night club in 1987.
But while Brand would seem to be a shoo-in for the role of decadent and morally indefensible rock diva Stacee Jaxx, it appears that Cruise is actually the frontrunner for that part -- meaning that we may get to see Tom Terrific show off his pipes on the Bon Jovi power ballad "Wanted Dead or Alive." Which, let's face it, sounds even crazier than that whole couch thing.
Brand, meanwhile, is said to be in line to play the narrator, Lonny, who runs the club on behalf of his boss Dennis -- who may actually be played by Alec Baldwin. Lonny and Dennis share a couple key duets, including the Europe anthem "The Final Countdown" and the REO Speedwagon classic "Can't Fight This Feeling."
So is the world ready to see Brand, Baldwin and Cruise flex their hair band powers on the big screen? We're not sure, but we do know one thing: the people casting this are either totally insane or complete geniuses. Either way, we're looking forward to seeing the final result.
"Rock of Ages" is slated to hit theaters sometime in 2012.
