'Rock of Ages' adds '30 Rock's' Alec Baldwin to the club

Alec Baldwin last week at the Museum of the Moving Image's tribute to him in New York.

Credit: AP Photo/Pete Kramer

It's going to be a busy break for Alec Baldwin.  The "30 Rock" star hasn't always booked his hiatus from the critically acclaimed NBC show, but most recently he used the time off in 2009 to shoot Nancy Meyers' "It's Complicated."  This year, he'll be singing alongside Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough and Mary J. Blige in Adam Shankman's big screen incarnation of the Broadway hit musical "Rock of Ages."

Shankman confirmed the rumor Friday on his twitter account noting: "So, based on info I got today, I'm gonna confirm Alec Baldwin as Dennis in Rock Of Ages. Hollah." 

He then added,"Can't wait to start #rockofagesmovie. Julianne Hough, alec Baldwin, Mary j Blige, Tom cruise confirmed. I love my cast. More to come."

The 52-year-old actor is expected to play Dennis Dupree, the owner of The Bourbon Room, a fictional Hollywood club on the Sunset Strip.  The stage musical finds Dupree fighting to save his club from developers who want to gentrify the area.  The character sings such well known hits as "Can't Fight This Feeling" and "The Final Countdown," but it's unclear if thos songs will still be included in the movie version.

Baldwin, has won three Golden Globes, two Emmys and five Screen Actor's Guild Awards (including Ensemble) for his work on "30 Rock," but started his career on the big screen breaking through in "The Hunt for Red October" way back in 1990.  Besides "Complicated," his recent credits include "My Sister's Keeper," "The Departed" and "Lymelife."  Baldwin previously worked with Shankman while co-hosting the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010.  Shankman co-produced the show with Bill Mechanic.

This is Shankman's second cinematic musical adventure after he helmed "Hairspray" in 2007.

Production on "Ages" is expected to begin this summer in anticipation of a 2012 release.