Here’s the First Look at Bill Murray, Zooey Deschanel, and Bruce Willis in ‘Rock the Kasbah’

Universally loved funnyman Bill Murray (St. Vincent) headlines the first trailer for Open Roads’ Rock the Kasbah, which tells the story of struggling rock manager/musician duo that heads to Afghanistan for a show, only for things to go awry when the artist ditches her manager, taking his money and passport with her. Finding himself abandoned with only limited resources in a strange, new world, the manager must make his way across the country and try to salvage whatever he can of his failed trip. Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer) stars as the musician, while Bruce Willis (Die Hard), Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Danny McBride (This is the End), and Scott Caan (Ocean’s Eleven) all have supporting roles in the film.

Directed by Barry Levinson (The Humbling), the filmmaker perhaps best known for comedic films with healthy dose of political commentary – Wag the Dog, Good Morning, Vietnam, not to mention other classics such as Rain Man and The Natural – Rock the Kasbah is actually Levinson’s first collaboration with actor Murray, which is surprising for a director known to repeatedly work with A-level talent. Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Willis are all among the actors who have done numerous projects with Levinson. Rock the Kasbah will likely try to find the humor in some of the more heavy themes associated with Afghanistan, as Levinson films are wont to do.

Written by Mitch Glazer, who also scripted the Murray starring 80s comedy Scrooged, Rock the Kasbah will be in theaters on October 23rd. For the curious, a ‘kasbah’ is a type of ancient fortress prevalent in the middle east, where local leaders would defend the city when it was under attack.