Earlier in the year a small company seemed to be coming through to finance David Gordon Green’s long-dreamed-of Suspiria remake, with the awesome casting notice that Isabelle Fuhrman would take the load role coming a month later. Things have been mostly quiet since, and now we’re a week into September- the film’s proposed start date.
It’s possible that Green is quietly running behind a screaming, blood-covered Fuhrman somewhere in the world, but it doesn’t seem likely. Now today has brought us the news that Gordon Green has set up a new project set to shoot in November, and it’s one that will star Nicholas Cage in a dramatic mentoring role.
The Southern drama, scripted by Gary Hawkins from Larry Brown‘s novel, would star Cage as “an ex-con who becomes the unlikeliest of role models to 15 year old Gary Jones, the oldest child of a homeless family ruled by a drunk, worthless father. Together they try to find a path to redemption and the hope for a better life in the rugged, dirty world of small town Mississippi.”
The film is called Joe (not a Billy Friedkin prequel) and the financing is apparently set, and a Texas shoot is already prepping.
While I was intrigued by Green’s take on Suspiria, it’s not like the guy has been batting .1000 lately. I think this might be a better chance for him to tackle some meaty material that isn’t without humor before going after a sacred cow. Here are Green’s thoughts on the project…
When Larry Brown wrote the novel Joe, he instantly created an iconic character of contemporary Southern literature. It is with great excitement that I’ve been able to work with Nicolas Cage to design an absolute and unexpected performance piece that is woven from the darkness, beauty, humor and environment of this material.
Source | Film Stage