Did the world of pop culture casting just pluck dreams I didn’t even know I had straight out of my brain? Earlier today Marvel announced that the one and only Jeff Goldblum has been cast as The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok (plus confirmation that Tessa Thompson will be leading a troop of badass warrior goddesses riding horses!), but now we’ve learned that my OTHER lifetime celebrity love, Ewan McGregor, has not only joined the critically acclaimed FX series Fargo for season three, he will be playing THE TWO LEADS. Let’s just take a moment to let that sink in.
Deadline reports that Ewan McGregor will play two brothers (Emmit and Ray Stussy) in Fargo‘s upcoming third season, which is supposedly set closer to present day than seasons 1 and 2. The official descriptions describe Emmitt Stussy as “the Parking Lot King of Minnesota. A handsome, self-made, real estate mogul and family man, Emmit sees himself as an American success story. His slightly younger brother, Ray Stussy, on the other hand, is more of a cautionary tale. Balding, pot-bellied, Ray is the kind of guy who peaked in high school. Now a parole officer, Ray has a huge chip on his shoulder about the hand heâs been dealt, and he blames his brother, Emmit, for his misfortunes.â
So not only are we going to get double the Ewan this season (sorry/not sorry), he’s going to playing two wildly different looking and acting characters. Now, some of you might be familiar with his work in more well-known films like the Star Wars prequels (of which he is the BEST part by far), Moulin Rouge, and Trainspotting, but McGregor has some serious, serious range. From playing an Iggy Pop-esque punk in Todd Hayne’s David Bowie-inspired cult classic Velvet Goldmine to my absolute favorite film of 2013, Beginners (watch it immediately), Ewan McGregor is one of the most underrated actors out there. Next year, he’s set to play Lumiere in Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, so not only does it seem like he is stepping back into the spotlight again, I may actually be living my own version of The Truman Show where everything I’ve ever wanted comes to fruition.
Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley has previously mentioned that the third season would be set in 2010, a few years after season one and that another character from a previous season might make an appearance. But who could it be? We wish Key and Peele could come back from the dead for a cameo, but it’s likely a character who survived a bloodbath. (Bummer.) Shooting is set to begin later this year, and Fargo season three will air sometime in 2017 (not soon enough).
What do you think of the casting news? What’s your favorite Ewan McGregor role of all time? Let us know in the comments below, and catch up on all our Fargo recaps right here.
Image: Focus Features
Rachel Heine is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist and might explode from excitement if Ewan McGregor is cast in anything else she loves. Join her for a Ewan McGregor GIF party on Twitter @RachelHeine.