After taking a trip to Hawaii for The Descendants, director Alexander Payne is returning to his roots in more ways than one with his next project. Set for a release next month, Nebraska sees him return to his home state, as well as a smaller scope, shooting in black-and-white.
Following a father (Bruce Dern) and son (Will Forte) on a road trip to claim a prize, we were major fans of the film at Cannes (full review), saying, it’s a “quaint, simple story that’s wise enough not to pander to its audience, instead treating characters with care and, by viewing through a detached lens, a sense of reality in portraying their lives. Oddly straightforward and punctuated by humorous moments throughout, there is a droll clarity to the film that elevates the overall experience into a heartfelt, sincere drama. Despite its modesty, Nebraska succeeds several times over in giving a sense of place and depth to the sometimes desolate parts of middle America.”
We’ve now got news on where the helmer could head next and it’s not his much-rumored adaptation of Wilson. According to Deadline, the filmmaker is talking with Fox Searchlight to reteam for The Judge’s Will. Based on an article from The New Yorker by the late Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, it follows the broken marriage between a Delhi judge and his younger Bombay wife, as they go about their lives in the same house. There’s no timetable yet on the production, but stay tuned for updates as they arrive.
In the meantime, we’ve dug up an excellent, 100-minute conversation with the director from just after the 2004 release of Sideways. Conducted by Kenneth Turan, he talks about the life-changing moment after seeing Akira Kurosawa‘s Seven Samurai, how the ’70s film culture could possibly be reflected today and much more. Notably, he also dives into the great relationship he had with Searchlight while making his then-latest work. With clips from his career spliced in, check it out in full below.
Nebraska opens on November 15th.
Have you read The Judge’s Will? Would you like to see Payne direct it next?