Filming starts in January

Jennifer Aniston has been cast opposite Robert De Niro in his forthcoming film about a stand-up.

De Niro – who was the apex of desperate wannabes, Rupert Pupkin, in King Of Comedy – will play a brutal insult comic in The Comedian.

Aniston will play a woman with whom he develops a close relationship after they meet at a wedding.

The film is a De Niro passion project, and he has spent several years trying to get it off the ground.

Stand-up Jeffrey Ross, the doyen of the comedy 'roast' has written stand-up material for the film, otherwise scripted by father-and-son team Art and John Linson.

The film will finally start shooting early next year, directed by Taylor Hackford, whose credits include the biopic Ray.

Published: 17 Nov 2015