Apr 1 2009Will I Be Able to Take Will Arnett Seriously in 'Jonah Hex'?

Ah, some much-needed Will Arnett to tide us over until the Arrested Development movie (I'm still pretending the Arrested Development movie will happen). The Hollywood Reporter has announced the actor, most famous for portraying Gob on the beloved sitcom, and Michael Shannon have joined Jonah Hex:

Will Arnett and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon are boarding "Jonah Hex," Warner Bros. and Legendary's action Western based on the DC Comics character.

Jimmy Hayward is directing "Hex," whose cast also includes Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox. It's the story of Hex (Brolin), a scarred bounty hunter tracking a voodoo practitioner (Malkovich) who wants to raise an army of the undead to liberate the South.

Arnett will play a Union soldier who enlists Hex and is blindsided by the dirty fighting style of his enemies. The role is not inherently comic.

I don't want to typecast someone as talented as Will Arnett, but keep trying to imagine him being sincere and I'm getting absolutely nothing. I can only conjure images of Gob in a cowboy hat, his raspy voice muttering "Jonah" in the same suspicious, condescending tone he so often whispered "Michael." But in fairness, prior to Jim Carrey's dramatic breakthroughs, I probably would have only been able to imagine him doing The Truman Show as Fire Marshal Bill, so I'm sure Arnett will be fine.