Featuring a group of film people that all kind of need a hit. Killer Joe, to be directed by William Friedkin and written by Tracy Letts, tells the story of a brother (Emile Hirsch) and a yet-to-be-named sister who plot their mother’s murder with the help of “Killer Joe,” played by Matthew McConaughey. The film will be produced by Nicholas Chartier, who produced last year’s Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker, under his Voltage Pictures banner. [THR]
Hirsch’s career, while still on the somewhat-fast track, hasn’t made many waves since Into the Wild, and those were surprisingly muted (what followed was Speed Racer, which wasn’t-so-surprisingly muted), needs to re-energize his fans. The same can be said for McConaughey, who’s last rom-com (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) came back with diminishing returns. This image change will be good for the actor who was once directed by Linklater, Sayles and Spielberg.
As for Friedkin, he made a cultish comeback for himself with the little-seen, much-loved indie Bug, starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon. This could be his studio-sized apology for Jade and The Hunted. And then there’s Chartier, who, despite the critical success of The Hurt Locker, received a far amount of criticism himself for his Avatar-hating emails during Oscar season. It was enough for the Academy to ban him from the ceremony. If Killer Joe is a hit, he can save his reputation and maintain his company’s success.
What do you think of Killer Joe? How about its cast and crew so far?