Scott Marshall already has Shirley MacLaine, Maria Bello, Christina Ricci, John Corbett and Bill Pullman on board for his action comedy Wild Oats and now, according to THR, Christopher Walken is being added to the roster. The news comes straight from Cannes where Peace Arch Entertainment is busy working on presales for the film, which is set to shoot in Connecticut and Nevada in August.

Screenwriter Claudia Myers’ story is about an older woman who hits it big when she’s mistakenly sent a Social Security check for $900,000 instead of $900. She and her granddaughter decide to take their haul to Vegas where they catch the attention of the media and eventually become fugitives. MacLaine will play the newly wealthy grandmother and Ricci her partner in crime. The roles of the rest of the cast including Walken are still unknown.

It’s been quite a while since one of Walken’s films has matched his personal prowess. The guy’s got the ability to make just about anything funny, but that doesn’t help an entire film’s case when he’s only included in a handful of scenes. I guess the last thing that really made an impression was Hairspray. Hopefully this ensemble will mesh as well as that summer 2007 hit’s did, delivering a final product that will match Walken’s talent, and the rest of the cast’s for that matter.

By Perri Nemiroff