Oscar Isaac-Led The Card Counter Rounds Out Its Cast

The upcoming casino revenge film The Card Counter, which is set to star Oscar Isaac and directed by Paul Schrader, has added three big names to its cast. According to Deadline, the thriller has added Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, and Willem Dafoe to the principal cast.

The film stars Isaac as the titular card counter who is tasked by Sheridan’s character to seek revenge on a military man, played by Dafoe. Haddish will play a gambling financier who backs the two men.

Let’s break these additions down piece-by-piece, starting with Willem Dafoe. There is no world where the addition of Dafoe is a bad idea. This performer has consistently done great, most predominantly in recent years with award-worthy work in The Florida Project, At Eternity’s Gate, and especially The Lighthouse. I can’t recall the last time he turned in a performance that hasn’t uplifted the film he’s in, so I got no problems here. Hell, he already worked with Isaac on At Eternity’s Gate so the chemistry is there.

Sheridan is an interesting addition. He’s a pretty subtle performer who has done solid but perhaps forgettable work in Ready Player One and the newer X-Men films, and while his is not a name that comes up in discussions for who should play what character in what film, he’s not a detractor.

Now, let’s get to Haddish. I can’t think of a film with Haddish that has worked since Girls Trip, and I’m getting a little tired of her. She was solid but forgettable in Keanu, and I found her quite funny in Girls Trip, but since that time, I haven’t really found her to be entertaining at all. She’s in a rut similar to Steve Carell’s earlier career where she keeps playing the same character over and over again to diminishing returns. The more I’ve thought about it, I didn’t really like her in The Kitchen, and I really hated Like a Boss from earlier this year, so I’m not feeling this addition to the cast. Hopefully she can surprise me, but I’m not on board with this one yet.

So what do you all think of these casting adds? Is The Card Counter turning into a most-anticipated film for you? Let me know/Drop a comment down below!

-Kyle A. Goethe