Photo by Cliff Lipson – © Copyright: Showtime 2013
20th Century and Disney have landed the star of the Bruce Springsteen project, Deliver Me From Nowhere, which has Jeremy Allen White to star as the Boss.
“Crazy Heart” director Scott Cooper will tackle this feature based on the 2023 book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska by Warren Zanes.
Grappling with personal demons and trying to wrap his arms around becoming a global superstar, Springsteen wrote and recorded 1982 album Nebraska, which is considered to be one the greatest albums of all time that rivals Joni Mitchell’s Blue as one of the most emotionally raw, dark and honest albums in recent music history.
The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein (The Maze Runner trilogy) and Eric Robinson are producing along with Cooper and Zanes. Scott Stuber is also producing, marking the first project for the former Netflix film head since he left the streamer in March. Springsteen and his manager Jon Landau also participated in this project, giving the essential access to his music.
The project was initially coming together at A24 and was expected to be the distributor. But David Greenbaum and 20th head Steve Asbell are big Springsteen fans, so Greenbaum ended up winning the rights for the movie, which will shoot in the fall and get a global theatrical release before it finds its way through Disney’s formidable pipelines.
“Bruce Springsteen, and Nebraska, in particular, have had a profound impact on me and my work,” said Cooper in a statement, “Through themes of despair, disillusionment, and the struggles of everyday Americans, Bruce has formed an unparalleled legacy, painting an unflinching portrait of the human condition. Yet, amidst the darkness, a sense of resilience and a sense of hope shines through, reflecting an indomitable spirit. That’s the Bruce I’ve come to know and love and will honor with this film.” “Warren Zanes’ wonderful telling of this chapter in Bruce’s life is ripe for cinematic adaptation. This film has the potential to be a transformative cinematic experience, offering audiences a window into the soul of Bruce Springsteen and the universal truths that bind us all together.”
Cooper, who last directed Christian Bale in period drama The Pale Blue Eye. White, who won an Emmy last fall for his performance in FX’s The Bear, along with a highly acclaimed performance as late pro wrestler Kerry Von Erich in The Iron Claw.