First Look: Jason Segel As David Foster Wallace In ‘End Of The Tour’
Much as we loveJason Segel, he seemed like an, um, unexpected choice when he wascastas late authorDavid Foster WallaceinJames Ponsoldt’sThe End of the Tour. But now that shooting is underway, we have a much better idea of what Segel will look like in character… and the jury’s still out, I’d say.
The film starsJesse Eisenbergas aRolling Stonewriter who goes on a road trip with Wallace.Ron Livingstonhas also just boarded the cast, in a supporting role. See Segel as Wallace and learn more about Livingston’s part after the jump.
And here’s a very brief video of Segel and Eisenberg moving around, also fromInstagram. It’s unclear whether they’re in character at this point.
Scripted byDonald Margulies,The End of the Tourfollows a journalist namedDavid Lipskyassigned to write a piece on Wallace in the mid-’90s, just asInfinite Jestshot the latter to fame. Lipsky tags along on Wallace’s book tour, and the two men discuss “women, depression and the pros and cons of fame” along the way.
In real life, Lipsky’s article never ran. The writer eventually published his story as a book calledAlthough Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip With David Foster Wallace, which serves as the source material for this movie. Lipsky’s tome was published in 2010, two years after Wallace’s death by suicide in 2008.
Segel bears a reasonable resemblance to Wallace here, in that he is wearing one of those bandanas that the real Wallace liked so well. But looks aren’t everything. More promising is the fact that Ponsoldt is at the helm, since he’s drawn such good performances out of his actors inSmashedandThe Spectacular Now.
As for Livingston,Deadlinereports that he’ll play Lipsky’s editor Bob Levin. Livingston is coming off of a string of indies includingThe Pretty One,Drinking Buddies, andTouchy Feely, as well as the hit horror filmThe Conjuring.
