The religious satire Divine Access has finally secured its two leads, as reported by Variety. The film just recently began shooting at the end of April. Character actors Billy Burke and Gary Cole will be squaring off in the comedy written, directed and produced by Steven Chester Prince in the The Alamo and Pineapple actor’s directorial debut.
Burke plays reluctant prophet Jack Harriman, who discovers he knows more about religion than most religious scholars and humiliates foe Reverend Guy Roy Davis, played by Cole, in a television episode that quickly goes viral. Burke and Cole will surely make an entertaining combo as opposing characters.
Just coming off a very limited release of under-the-radar Angels In Stardust where he played a cowboy alongside Alicia Silverstone, Burke is widely known for his turn as the cop/protective father of Kristin Stewart’s Bella in the Twilight Saga films, for which he has certainly seen an uptick in his starmeter. After a number of fantasy films, such as Drive Angry opposite Nicolas Cage and Red Riding Hood alongside Amandy Seyfried, Burke seems to be working towards adding comedies to his resume. Last year, he starred alongside Danny Glover and Parker Posey in the comedy drama Highland Park.
Like Burke, although more so, Cole has amassed a long list of roles in many different genres. Mostly likely, you’ve seen him in a lot of movies and you didn’t realize he was in. Most people might know him from the comedy Office Space where he so successfully embodies the cheeseball office manager Bill Lumbergh. Remember the guy who’s always sipping his coffee and asking the other office workers for the latest TC reports and if they “got the memo.” Yeah…that’s the guy. Cole has three more movies coming out later this year, comedy Tammy alongside Melissa McCarthy, horror/thriller The Town That Dreaded Sundown, and the drama Cotton.
Although a mostly ensemble piece, this could be an opportunity for Burke to stand out as a leading man to audiences and studios. And we’re sure to get an interest Reverend from Cole. Either way, we are eager to see these two character actors break out the holy knuckles (made of wood?) and go head-to-head. They join co-stars Sarah Shahi, Patrick Warburton, Joel David Moore, Dora Madison, Barak Hardley and Adrienne Barbeau.