Over the past few years, actor P.J. Byrne has been quietly building a truly diverse filmography that places him at the center of some of the most interesting projects in film and TV. Between The Wolf of Wall Street, The Gift and Big Little Lies, Byrne has tackled an Oscar-nominated comedy, an edge-of-your-seat thriller and an HBO drama. Now, according to The Tracking Board, he’s setting his sights on action next.
Byrne will star alongside Dwayne Johnson in New Line’s film adaptation of the classic Midway arcade game Rampage. The movie will set Johnson’s zoologist against a lizard, gorilla and wolf looking to cause destruction and mayhem across America.
The site reports that Byrne will play “an ethical scientist who works with Johnson at a wildlife park and warns him when his beloved gorilla begins exhibiting dangerous symptoms.” Given his past works, it seems safe to assume that Byrne will serve as the film’s comic relief.
In addition to his aforementioned credits, some may recognize Byrne’s voice from Nickelodeon’s much-praised Avatar: The Last Airbender follow-up series, The Legend of Korra, where he voiced the fun-loving Bolin for four seasons.
Rampage will reunite Johnson with his Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and San Andreas director Brad Peyton, while the cast so far includes Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Marley Shelton (Solace), Jake Lacy (The Office) and Breanne Hill (Incarnate). Ryan Engle, Carlton Cuse and Ryan Condal have all worked on the script in some capacity, but Adam Sztykiel wrote the most recent version of it.
Originally published March 1, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
