If you like Edward Norton, and who doesn’t (besides my brother for some odd reason), two Ed Nortons in the same movie have to be better than just one, right? Well, Tim Blake Nelson thinks so. Norton will be playing twin brothers in Nelson’s Leaves of Grass.
I first heard about Leaves of Grass back when State of Play was set to star Norton and Brad Pitt. Norton had already committed to Leaves of Grass (which didn’t have a title back then) and had to pass on State of Play when Pitt dropped out and it took a while to get his replacement (that film now stars Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck in those roles). He couldn’t back out of his deal with Tim Blake Nelson (and probably didn’t want to from what I’m hearing) and they couldn’t make the time thing work.
At the time we didn’t really know much about Leaves of Grass. Thanks to some recent statements by Nelson, however, we know much more about it. The film is described as a comedic thriller. Norton will play twin brothers, one an Ivy League philosophy professor, the other a small-time (but brilliant) marijuana grower. Norton the professor gets lured back to his Oklahoma hometown for a doomed scheme against a local drug lord that unravels his life.
In addition to Norton as the lead(s), the director, Tim Blake Nelson will play a best friend. Most of you probably remember Nelson from O Brother, Where Art Thou?, but he’s played a ton of character parts in a lot of different movies. Susan Sarandon will play the eccentric mother of the two brothers, Richard Dreyfuss will play the drug lord, and Keri Russell will play a love interest (presumably of one or both of the brothers).
Norton has said that he was hooked on the script for Leaves of Grass, written by Nelson, as soon as he read it. The film will start shooting in Louisiana within the next few weeks with a very moderate budget of around $15 million.
I have to say, I think this is one of the best teaser posters I’ve seen in a while. It’s not often we get a poster for a film that hasn’t even started shooting yet and even less often that we get one this good. I think this poster would definitely stir up some interest in the film. Let’s hope the actual poster is half as good when it comes out.
Great poster, I agree.
And Norton + Keri Russell = Mike and Jina will see it
Why does the poster make me think of that new Christian Slater show on NBC… probably because I watched too much of the Olympics.
True that Edward Norton and Kerri Russell means Olbinski must-see.
LOL
Why is it that Hollywood never films where their movie actually takes place? They're filming in Louisiana when it's in Oklahoma?
Aren't they the same?
Someone needs to go back to high school geography.