Albert Brooks is one of the most talented actors working today. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1987′s Broadcast News, and has made memorable performances in movies like Taxi Driver, Twilight Zone: The Movie (which haunted my childhood), and of course, my personal favorite, as Marlin the Clown Fish in Finding Nemo.

One thing Mr. Brooks hasn’t done much of in his career so far is the “bad guy” character, but that all looks to soon change. It’s being reported that Brooks has joined the cast of Drive, the new film from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by author James Sallis.

Drive stars fellow Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling as a stunt car driver who spends his nights working as a getaway driver and finds himself caught up in a sticky situation. Brooks will play a feared mobster named Bernie Rose, who hails from New York but now does his work in Los Angeles. The movie also stars Oscar nominated An Education actress Carey Mulligan and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston.

Brooks recently wrote his first novel, titled 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America, which is set to be published in May. The book tells of a time in the future where cancer and other diseases are no longer and issue and the human lifespan has reached 110, creating a major population crisis. This is becoming a popular vision of the future, and of course isn’t as far fetched as it sounds. We reviewed a documentary here a while back called To Age or Not to Age, which focuses on the discoveries and studies of ways the average human can extend their lifespan greatly. It also speaks on the overpopulation issues sure to follow if these medical breakthroughs continue to move closer.

No word yet on a time frame for the release of Drive.

[Source: Deadline]