Last year the actor himself confirmed it: he will appear in the skin of the famous Johnny from “The Room” in a tribute film for charity – and he actually “had a blast” at the ‘interpret !
Bob Odenkirk as Johnny from The Room? Yes, that is indeed the case! The Better Call Saul actor confirmed it last year: he has indeed brought the iconic character of Tommy Wiseau seen in the cult 2003 film back to life.
“It’s real. It’s true”, had written Bob Odenkirk on X (formerly Twitter) at the time. “And let me tell you, I did my best to SELL every line, as honestly as possible…and I had a blast.”
But be careful, the film is more of a tribute than a remake, as Acting for a Cause, the organization behind the project, clarified. Acting for a Cause is a charity that raises funds for various charitable causes through stage performances. The organization’s founder, Brando Crawford, is also the director of the project in addition to playing the second lead role, that of Mark, Johnny’s self-proclaimed best friend, who was played by Greg Sestero in the original film. The tribute to The Room aims to raise money for the non-profit amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.
Acting for a Cause had also shared a photo of Bob Odenkirk on the tray. The majority of the production would have been shot on a green screen.
Absolutely cult, The Room was born from a chaotic and secretly financed independent production, with dismal reviews and low attendance in theaters. However, the film did not take long to find its audience, Tommy Wiseau taking advantage of the situation by organizing nightly screenings in Los Angeles where he made appearances.
The drama, which turns 21 this year, has won over a global audience, with specialist sessions encouraging vocal and mocking audience participation. Greg Sestero has, for his part, written the book entitled The Disaster Artist about his experience and it is this same book which was adapted into a film in 2017 by James Franco. The Disaster Artist, the film, ended up earning an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
If this tribute project entitled The Room Returns! has not yet seen the light of day, we know however that in addition to Bob Odenkirk, it stars Bella Heathcote as Lisa, Kate Siegel as Claudette, and horror director Mike Flanagan as Peter. Last year, Variety reported that Wiseau-Films was not initially contacted for the license and that Tommy Wiseau and his associates had only been made aware of the project when it was officially announced. We don’t know what happened to the film, or when it will be released.
In the meantime, to see the original The Room again, you will have to turn to the DVD editions. The Disaster Artist, whose trailer can be seen below, is available on VOD.