Mad Men has left such a legacy that it’s now almost impossible to distinguish Jon Hamm from his on-screen persona Don Draper. However, as we know, all good things must come to end to let other good things grow. Now, Jon Hamm is turning predominantly to film acting with four projects currently in production.
In 2015 Mad Men came to an end and he had a voice acting role in ‘Despicable Me’ spin-off ‘Minions’ with Sandra Bullock.
But 2016 and beyond will see the 44 year-olds film career really take off.
High Wire Act
‘High Wire Act’ shapes as a highly promising project. It comes from writer Tony Gilroy, who is responsible for providing the screenplay for the Bourne films starring Matt Damon, and Hamm will star alongside Rosamund Pike, who turned in an astonishing performance in excellent 2014 film ‘Gone Girl’. The film will tell the story of a former U.S diplomat who returns to service in order to save a colleague in Beirut.
Marjorie Prime
Hamm is set to co-star in the sci-fi dramedy alongside Geena Davis and Tim Robbins. An adaptation of a 2015 Pulitzer prize finalist, the film will tell the story of Marjorie, an elderly, arthritic former violinist who is staring headlong into the decline of old age as her memories begin to fail her. She avails herself with a service that provides holographic recreations of deceased loved ones as their survivors would like them remembered. Hamm will play Walter, her deceased husband.
Keeping Up With The Joneses
This one doesn’t sound particularly enthralling or original but it also stars Australian beauty Isla Fischer as well as Zach Galifianakis. The plot sounds very much in keeping with a comedy, the film will follow a suburban couple who become embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover their neighbours are spies. Sounds vaguely similar to Matthew Perry’s ‘The Whole Nine Yards.’ Who knows, it could be fun.
Baby Driver
Plot wise, this one is very much in the action/thriller territory and places Hamm on set alongside Ansel Elgort (‘The Fault In Our Stars’), Lily James, and Jamie Foxx. However it will be directed by Edger Wright whose previous work includes ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’, ‘Hot Fuzz’, and ‘The World’s End’ so a comedy seems to stand a strong chance of what we’ll see. The story focuses on a young getaway driver who is coerced by a crime boss to work on a heist that is basically doomed. Elgort will play the young’un but Hamm’s roles is still a relative mystery at this point.
It sure looks like Don – err Jon will be a busy man in the next 18-24 months as these films roll out. Which one are you most excited for?