Harry Potter is breaking bad! Get all the details on Daniel Radcliffe’s latest role

Mad Man Entertainment

BY DAN BUFFA, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

If you can say one thing about Daniel Radcliffe, it’s that he has used his post-“Harry Potter” time wisely, playing all kinds of wacky characters and decrepit souls. If you’re set for life (a billion dollar franchise will do that), take a few chances. That’s what Radcliffe has done recently. I am happy to inform you that the rebellious choice in film roles will continue.

After portraying the popular heroic wizard for eight films, the 31-year-old actor has invested performances in everything from “Guns Akimbo”— where he played a guy with newly acquired gladiator skills trying to save his girlfriend from kidnappers– to playing Igor in a “Victor Frankenstein” remake. In the animated series, “BoJack Horseman,” Radcliffe played himself, riffing on his own persona.

Like Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson after “Twilight,” Radcliffe, a Brit with a Jewish mother, more than likely made a pact with himself to get as far away from his iconic role as possible. His latest character should help with that considerably. In Paramount’s upcoming “Lost City of D,” he will portray the villain opposite Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. While details of Radcliffe’s role are under wraps, Bullock plays a reclusive romance novelist who hates being stuck on a book tour with her cover model (Tatum)–until they find themselves involved in a jungle adventure.

All I hope is that the directors, Aaron and Adam Nee, give Radcliffe a chance to branch out even further into eccentric territory. Turn him loose. Let’s hope this villain role is better than the one he portrayed in the ill-fated sequel, “Now You See Me 2,” which was a half-baked attempt at proving to us he could break bad. Playing opposite Bullock and Tatum, two actors who are skilled at comedy, should bring out the best in him.

The film, which is in pre-production, is set to be released in just about a year: April 15, 2022.

In the meantime, “Potter” fanatics can find Radcliffe, who isn’t religious but is very proud of being Jewish, on a couple television series: “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Miracle Workers.” He plays a Prince in each of those shows, but if cinema fans need a dose before next April, they can find Radcliffe in “Escape from Pretoria,” which details the prison escape of two political captives.

Suffice to say, the guy is stretching his talents and not resting on his wizard laurels. He’s lived three movie star lives before he can even turn 32 years old and there’s only 44 credits on his Internet Movie Database web page. Some would argue he’s just getting started. May the next 10 years be as adventurous as the last decade.