We previously mourned
John Hillcoat's (The Proposition, The Road) desperate attempts to get his
Nick Cave scripted adaptation of
Matt Bondurant's 1930's Prohibition drama novel
The Wettest County In The World off the ground earlier this year, but there must be a God somewhere
as news is spreading that the film has found independent financing, and shooting is expected to get underway in the spring. Adding to this as the cherry on top of the icing on the cake is that
Tom Hardy has joined the cast as one of the three bootlegging brothers 'whose moonshine dynasty in Franklin County, Virginia is threatened by the authorities wanting a cut' and is expected to film his role before shooting on
The Dark Knight Rises begins early Summer. Long rumoured with the movie was
Shia LaBeouf who is now also officially on board and could be the commercial brand that helped Hillicoat raise the money for his passion project. I think LaBeouf will play the youngest brother Jack, who is the lead, and who isn't as quick to resort to mindless violence as his older siblings and whose journey into manhood in this depression era is what the film is basically about. Details are sketchy but it looks like Hardy has replaced previously attached
Ryan Gosling, who instead is making the political thriller
The Ideas of March with
George Clooney in the Spring. Hardy will likely play the middle brother who is described as a batshit crazy drunk with a feverish, grinning zest for violence and getting into trouble, which sounds like an ideal role for the
Bronson actor - wouldn't you say?
Also previously attached were
Michael Shannon (presumably as Howard the eldest and most violent brother),
Amy Adams (as his red-head love interest) and
Paul Dano (perhaps as the second choice for the lead behind LaBeouf) and
Scarlett Johansson (perhaps as the second choice behind Adams for the love interest). The film has the title
The Promised Land. Early Christmas present? You bet.