EXCLUSIVE
Alec Baldwin has been offered the role of Dennis Dupree in New Line's big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Rock of Ages," while his fellow Oscar-nominated actor Tom Cruise is getting closer to signing on to the highly-anticipated project, TheWrap has learned.
Adam Shankman is directing the musical, which features hit tunes from '80s hair-metal stalwarts such as Bon Jovi, Styx, Twisted Sister and Poison. The story follows a beautiful young girl from the midwest who moves to LA to follow her dreams of becoming an actress.
Before it hit Broadway last year, "Rock of Ages" originally debuted in Los Angeles in 2006 with Tenacious D member Kyle Gass playing the role of Dennis, an ex-rocker who hangs onto his glory days by operating the Bourbon Room, a club on the Sunset Strip.
While Baldwin has simply been offered the role at this point, there's a strong chance he'll accept it and sign on to the New Line movie. Will Ferrell was previously rumored to have received an offer to play Dennis, so clearly the studio has set its sights high for the supporting role.
As for the rest of the cast, Mary J. Blige was recently reported to be in talks to play Justice, the sassy owner of a gentleman's club on the Sunset Strip. Meanwhile, Shankman confirmed to E! Online just last week that Tom Cruise is being eyed for the supporting role of rock star Stacee Jaxx. Though the actor is not in negotiations and no deal has been struck yet, TheWrap has learned that Cruise has been in a recording studio testing his vocal chops in preparation for the plum part.
Coincidentally, Shankman and Katie Holmes (Cruise's wife) are two of the co-founders of the Dizzy Feet Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that promotes dance to underprivileged kids.
Baldwin was last seen on the big screen in "It's Complicated" and "My Sister's Keeper." He was nominated for another Golden Globe on Tuesday morning for his continually hilarious turn as Jack Donaghy on NBC's "30 Rock," and has won the last two Golden Globes for Best Actor in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy, as well as two of the past three Emmy awards in the same category.
"Rock of Ages" is tentatively scheduled to begin production in March (Shankman has been tweeting about "Toy Story 3" writer Michael Arndt's involvement), which also happens to be when director Brad Bird will have wrapped filming on Cruise's "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol."
Baldwin and Cruise are represented by CAA.
