Thompson Twins Cast? Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

It is being widely reported that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) have been cast as the Thompson Twins.

First reported by Ain’t It Cool News, there doesn’t yet seem to be any official confirmation yet. This rumour first surfaced a few months ago and originated out of a chance encounter between Spielberg and Pegg (see Simon Pegg, Spielberg and Tintin).

Given the physical differences between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, this casting can only come about because of the CGI nature of the film. The almost identical twins, Thomson and Thompson (Dupond et Dupont in the original French) can only be differentiated by the shape of their moustaches.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost first met when Simon was a student and frequented a restaurant where Nick was working as waiter. The two become firm friends and lived together for several years. Both were so poor that for 6 months they shared a bed (in a strictly heterosexual manner). When Pegg and fellow student Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson) scripted and stared in Spaced, they brought Nick Frost in as Mike. This was Nick Frost’s first ever acting work.

Spaced was a huge success because of its off-beat humour and numerous references to comics, films (particularly Star Wars) and video games. Turning their sights to bigger things, Pegg and Spaced director Edgar Wright created Shaun of the Dead , a romantic zombie comedy that set a Romero’ style zombie apocalypse in suburban London. Starting Pegg and Frost (plus many other actors from Spaced), the film was a huge hit around the world. This was followed up Hot Fuzz, a high-octane police-action film, heavily modeled on Bad Boyz, set in a sleepy English village.

Since Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg has starred in Run FatBoy Run and is playing Scotty in the new Star Trek film.