Matthew McConaughey is set to reunite with his "Dazed and Confused" director Richard Linklater and his "Tropic Thunder" co-star Jack Black for the black comedy "Bernie," the actor's publicist has confirmed to TheWrap.
Based on a true story, the film stars Black as a small-town Texas funeral home director who befriends a wealthy widow (Shirley MacLaine), only to wind up killing her and storing the corpse in her own freezer. One would think he'd be vilified for such a crime, but instead, the entire town rallies to support him.
McConaughey will play district attorney Danny Buck Davidson, a role that brings his career full circle, since he became a leading man in Hollywood on the strength of his commanding performance as defense attorney Jake Brigance in "A Time to Kill."
The charming actor should be wary of being type-cast as an attorney, as he recently wrapped Lionsgate's "The Lincoln Lawyer."
Linklater co-wrote "Bernie" with Skip Hollandsworth, who wrote the original 1998 Texas Monthly story about the real case.
Filming is scheduled to begin later this fall in Texas.
"Bernie" is the second black comedy McConaughey has recently signed on to, as he's set to star opposite Emile Hirsch in William Friedkin's "Killer Joe."
McConaughey is represented by CAA.
