Production has begun on Deliver Me From Nowhere, a feature film chronicle of Bruce Springsteen making his classic 1982 album Nebraska. The Boss will be portrayed by The Bear star Jeremy Allen White in a movie directed by Crazy Heart‘s Scott Cooper and based on Warren Zanes’ book of the same name. No release date has yet been announced for the 20th Century Studios project.
Succession‘s Jeremy Strong will play longtime Springsteen manager Jon Landau, while Paul Walter Hauser portrays guitar tech Mike Batlan, Sir Stephen Graham stars as Springsteen’s father Dutch and Johnny Cannizzaro will tackle the role of E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt.
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“Beginning production on this film is an incredibly humbling and thrilling journey,” Cooper says. “Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska has profoundly shaped my artistic vision. The album’s raw, unvarnished portrayal of life’s trials and resilience resonates deeply with me. Our film aims to capture that same spirit, bringing Warren Zanes’ compelling narrative of Bruce’s life to the screen with authenticity and hope, honoring Bruce’s legacy in a transformative cinematic experience. It has been a great pleasure to collaborate with Bruce and Jon as I tell their story, and their creative energy fuels every part of this journey.”
While plotting out the ambitious full-band Born in the U.S.A., Springsteen holed up in Colts Neck, N.J., with a four-track to cut some demos and decided to leave 10 of them untouched to comprise a separate, stark acoustic album. “Robert De Niro said once that what he likes about acting is that he gets to step into other people’s shoes without the real-life consequences,” Springsteen told SPIN in 2007 by way of reflecting on his headspace at the time. “Art does allow you to do that, to go right up to the abyss and look in, hopefully without falling in.”
The artist and his E Street Band colleagues are currently the subject of the new documentary Road Diary, which just premiered on Hulu and Disney+. They’re back in action Thursday (Oct. 31) in Montreal.
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