Harry Shearer Joins Cast Of Comedy Feature ‘Bastards’

Harry Shearer, who is probably best known for voicing a total of 23 characters on The Simpsons for over two decades (including Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders) has just joined the cast of the feature comedy Bastards. The film marks the directorial debut of cinematographer Lawrence Sher (The Hangover).

Justin Malen (Bad Teacher 2) wrote the screenplay for the film about twin brothers (Ed Helms and Owen Wilson) who start searching for their real father when they realize their eccentric mother (Glenn Close) lied about their biological father’s death. Shearer will play Gene, an eager husband to Close’s Mrs. Reynolds and stepfather to the twin brothers (Helms and Wilson).

He also joins J.K. Simmons, Katie Aselton (The League), former football great Terry Bradshaw and Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation).

Shearer is best known in features for his collaborations with Christopher Guest, including mock-umentary This Is Spinal Tap which he wrote and costarred in with Rob Reiner, Guest and Michael McKean. He also was part of Guest’s For Your Consideration and A Mighty Wind.

Shearer also directed and narrated the excellent documentary feature The Big Uneasy, which exposed what happened during Hurricane Katrina to flood the city of New Orleans.

Alcon Entertainment is financing Bastards and producing with Montecito Picture Company, whose Ivan Reitman and Ali Bell will produce along with Alcon’s Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. Tom Pollock will executive produce along with Chris Fenton and Chris Coles.

The film is scheduled for release on Nov. 4, 2016 via Warner Bros. through Alcon’s output deal.

Shearer is repped by Affirmative Entertainment and King, Holmes, Paterno and Soriano LLP.