Billy Bob Thornton Joins Kaley Cuoco’s Promising New Movie

Billy Bob Thornton added another project to his growing to-do list on Tuesday. He will star in Role Play, a new thriller co-starring The Flight Attendant‘s Kaley Cuoco and David Oyelowo. Coincidentally, both Thornton and Oyelowo are separately working on projects with Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan.

The new movie will be directed by Thomas Vincent (Possessions) and centers on a married couple whose life is thrown asunder when they learn about each other’s pasts. Cuoco and Oyelowo will play the married couple. Thornton’s role in the project is unknown, but sources told Deadline he will have a major role as a mysterious stranger who meets the stars. Seth Owen (All Nighter) wrote the script, which has some contributions from Andrew Baldwin (Invasion).

The Picture Company’s Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona are producing with financing from Studiocanal. The Picture Company has a streaming deal with Amazon Prime Video, which will be the home for Role Play. Cuoco is also a producer through her Yes Norman Productions banner. Brillstein Grey’s George Heller is an executive producer.

Thornton has worked with Cuoco in the past. Back in 2014, the Oscar-winner made a cameo on The Big Bang Theory as Dr. Oliver Lorvis, a urologist who tries to woo Cuoco’s Penny. CBS and Big Bang‘s producers managed to keep Thornton’s appearance on the show a complete surprise for fans at home. Big Bang showrunner Steve Molaro told Entertainment Weekly they reached out to Thornton after hearing he was a big fan of the sitcom. Molaro said Cuoco and Thornton bonded by sharing stories of the late John Ritter. Cuoco starred with Ritter on 8 Simple Rules, while Thornton and Ritter were close friends. Thornton cast Ritter in Sling Blade, the movie that earned Thornton the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar.

Thornton also has a connection to Oyelowo. They are both working with Sheridan. After Thornton’s guest role in 1883, Sheridan cast him in Land Man, a Paramount+ series about the West Texas oil boom. The series is expected to start filming this fall. Oyelowo stars in Sheridan’s 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, a limited series about the real-life legendary lawman who was the first Black Deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River.

Thornton recently finished work on Prime Video’s Goliath. His next movie is The Gray Man, a Netflix blockbuster starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans that hits the streamer on July 22. Thornton earned an Emmy nomination for his chilling performance as the killer Lorne Malvo in Fargo Season 1.