Posted in: Casting, Movies, Searchlight | Tagged: armie hammer, casting, Next Goal Wins, taika waititi, will arnett

Next Goal Wins: Will Arnett to Replace Armie Hammer in Soccer Comedy

Published Sat, 01 Jan 2022 09:17:12 -0600

Will Arnett will replace Armie Hammer in Taika Waititi's Searchlight Pictures soccer comedy Next Goal Wins. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Rumble and Arrested Development star replaces Hammer following allegations from multiple women of sexual assault leading to his exit from the film, among others, but remains on Disney/Fox's upcoming Death of the Nile in February 2022.

Real Story That Inspired Next Goal Wins

Based on the 2014 British documentary of the same name from Mike Brett and Steve Jamison, Next Goal Wins is an underdog story that follows the national football team of American Samoa and their coach, Thomas Rongen, as they try to transform from perennial losers into a FIFA World Cup-qualifying outfit. Hammer was set to play a soccer executive working at the Football Federation American Samoa, a role that Arnett will now play.

Taika Waititi
Photo by Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com

Production Details

The seven-time Emmy nominee, who reshot Hammer's scenes, will co-star with Michael Fassbender, Elizabeth Moss, David Fane, Deulah Koale, Oscar Kightley, and Lehi Falepapalangi. Arnett's also appeared in The Morning Show, Muppets Haunted Mansion, The First Team, BoJack Horseman, Riviera, and The Lego Batman Movie. He currently serves as host of Lego Masters and SmartLess.

Waititi's been busy in front and behind the camera. In addition to his ongoing work on What We Do in the Shadows and Reservation Dogs, he's also starred in Free Guy, The Suicide Squad, and The Mandalorian. He's also co-writing Next Goal Wins with Iain Morris and is involved in several upcoming projects, including Thor: Love & Thunder, Our Flag Means Death, and Time Bandits. Next Goal Wins is slated for release in 2022.

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