Russell Brand hired by Michael Winterbottom for documentary about the financial crisis
The comedian-cum-aspiring revolutionary is expected to inject humour into the programme
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Michael Winterbottom has enlisted Russell Brand to appear in a new documentary about the financial crisis.
The director – who previously masterminded Welcome to Sarajevo, Wonderland and 24 Hour Party People – describes his latest project as a "polemic", looking at "why nothing has changed" since 2008.
"It's about inequality and why the 1 percent [of the world's wealthy] seem to have so much and the rest of us not quite so much," he told BBC Radio 4's Front Row.
"Everyone knows about equality and what's going on in the world, so the idea is to point out the ludicrous extremes of our society."
The focus of the documentary will no doubt appeal to the comedian’s left-wing sensibility, who this week staged a protest with occupy protesters in New York’s Wall Street.
He has called for a revolution on numerous occasions, prompted by his dissatisfaction at the current political system.
Winterbottom first became a fan of Brand after reading his 2007 memoir, Booky Wook, which they discussed turning into a "dramatised version but it didn’t happen".
"So this is a chance after a lot of years to have another go," said Winterbottom.
The director is currently promoting his latest film, Face of An Angel, loosely based on the murder of Meredith Kercher, and starring Cara Delevingne.
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