Jim Broadbent to Play Wilbur in Hairspray Film

Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent will play Wibur Turnblad in the film version of the Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray, according to Variety. The film will begin shooting this fall and is expected to open on December 21, 2007. It will be directed by Adam Shankman.

As previously reported, the movie version of Hairspray will also star John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, Zac Efron as Link Larkin, Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton, Brittany Snow as Amber von Tussle, Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma von Tussle. For many months, it had been rumored that Billy Crystal would play the role of Wilbur.

Broadbent is one of England’s most respected stage actors, where he has appeared in such play as Our Country’s Good, Bent, Ecstasy and Goosepimples. He won the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his performance as John Bayley in Iris. His many other film credits include Little Voice, Nicholas Nickleby, Moulin Rouge, Gangs of New York, and Topsy-Turvy, in which he played W.S. Gilbert.