Woody Allen signs up for first major movie role in 12 years

Prolific director Woody Allen doesn’t act as much as he once did, outside the occasional role in his own films, but it has been announced that he’ll take a starring role in ‘Fading Gigolo’... as a pimp.

The film, starring, written and directed by John Turturro, best known for scene-stealing roles in the ‘Transformers’ series, ‘The Big Lebowski’ and ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’, follows two cash-strapped best friends who turn to the gigolo business to fill their coffers.

Oh, and in the film the pair go by the pseudonyms Virgil and Bongo.

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Along the way their plan ruffles the feathers of the local Jewish community and things become more complicated when Turturro’s character falls in love with a Jewish widow.

Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara (of hit US sitcom ‘Modern Family’) are set for unspecified roles, but it’s a good bet that one will play the aforementioned widow.

For Woody Allen’s last major film role you’d have to go back 12 years to ‘Picking up the Pieces’ and before that there’s animated feature ‘Antz’ in 1998 and ‘Scenes from a Mall’ in 1991.

The wonderfully insane sounding ‘Fading Gigolo’ will start filming next month for release in 2013.