Dominic West is taking a break between seasons of Showtime’s The Affair to hang out in a private jet and get paid for it as part of the production of Jodie Foster’s upcoming thriller Money Monster. Foster will direct the film, which stars George Clooney as a TV show host who gives insider trading tips, one of which endorses a company that quickly goes under. This causes one viewer to hold Clooney at gunpoint on live TV after losing all his money. West will play the CEO of the doomed company who absconds in his private jet when it becomes increasingly clear that he was complicit in his company’s failure.
Originally, we thought Clooney’s sleazy host was the proverbial Money Monster, but now it seems that West’s character has just as much claim to that title. Or perhaps the point is that money itself is the monster that devours us all, which brings us back to our idea for a giant dollar-bill-skinned ogre who hibernates during tax time and then awakens to roam the countryside, a steadfast (and smelly) symbol of American greed. But Foster probably doesn’t have the budget for that, so she’ll have to rely on West making ugly faces.
The film will also star Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell, both of whom are probably Money Monsters in their own special way.