Season 3 of the American black comedy crime drama anthology TV series “Fargo” on FX is set for production later this year but it has been generating a lot of news since its Season 2 finale last year because of the reported dual roles to be played by its star, British actor Ewan McGregor.
McGregor, who is best known for his role in “Star Wars 1” as Obi-Wan Kenobi and also in “Moulin Rouge” opposite Australian actress Nicole Kidman, has been confirmed to play the leading man role in “Fargo” Season 3 as early as last year.
However, the twist is that he has been cast in the double role of Minnesota parking lot magnate Emmit Stussy and his loser brother Ray Stussy, reports Digital Spy.
While Emmit has built a small business empire and a happy family, his balding and pudgy brother Ray only harbors jealousy and resentment.
Reports have it that the new episodes of “Fargo” will be set in 2010, after Season 1 took place in 2006 and last year’s Season 2 moved back in time to 1979.
Earlier last year, FX CEO John Landgraf teased that “Fargo” Season 3 shall include at least one older version of a familiar character.
The TV series had started production late last year and is expected to air early this year on FX.
Great actors do dual roles
Critics note that it often takes a great actor to star opposite themselves. Michael J. Fox did it in “Back to the Future 2” and “Back to the Future 3.”
Tom Hanks also pulled double duty in “Cloud Atlas.” Former wunderkind Lindsay Lohan also did it in “The Parent Trap,” where she was really better than her recent dual roles in “I Know Who Killed Me.” Mike Myers also did it with great flair in “Austin Powers.”
It seems that Ewan McGregor is also joining the ranks of elite actors for such feat. Fresh from playing both Jesus and Satan in the “Last Days in the Desert,” he is not quite done twinning it up on-screen. He’ll do it again in the lead roles for “Fargo” Season 3 playing two brothers, reports Vanity Fair.
His Emmit character, just from the sounds of it, has it all, including good looks, money, family, the whole shebang. After all, he is the ‘Parking Lot King’ of Minnesota.
His younger brother, Ray, on the other hand, is the kind of guy who peaked in high school, plagued with a potbelly and the slow-building hell that is a balding scalp. He’s a parole officer.
Naturally, Ray is a little jealous of his big brother. Perhaps unfairly, he blames Emmit for his problems.
A surprising move
“Fargo” Season 3 will take place closer to present day than the seasons that preceded it. The decision to take on dual roles is a surprising move from McGregor, whom fans were used to seeing on the big screen.
Critics are hoping that his roles in “Fargo” Season 3 will entail the type of thorny and eccentric dive into Minnesota’s seedy, snow-covered underbelly that people have come to expect from the past two seasons of “Fargo,” which featured stars such as Nick Offerman, Kirsten Dunst, and Billy Bob Thornton.
Fans will surely be waiting for the premiere with bated breath, but critics can’t help but wonder if McGregor would be able to dazzle them with his Minnesota drawl.
“Fargo” was created and primarily written by Noah Hawley. The TV series is inspired by the 1996 film of the same title written and directed by the Coen brothers, who serve as executive producers on the TV series alongside Hawley.
The show premiered on April 15, 2014, on FX. Each season follows an anthology format, being set in a different era along with a different story, cast, and set of characters. However, each season is a part of a common chronology together with the original film.