20th Century and Disney has landed Deliver Me From Nowhere, the Bruce Springsteen project that has Jeremy Allen White in talks to star as the Boss.
Scott Cooper, who treaded into music territory with his debut Crazy Heart, will write and direct the feature that will be based on the 2023 book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska by Warren Zanes.
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.
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The project does have the involvement of Springsteen and of his manager Jon Landau, giving it something essential: access to the music.
Nowhere explores the making of Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska, which is considered to be one the greatest albums of all time, per critics and music aficionados. The album followed the singer-songwriter’s huge The River album and the follow-up was widely expected to be a rock album with The E Street Band. The album has the trademark blue-collar vibe of many other Springsteen albums, but this was also full of bleak and hopeless themes, accompanied by a sparse instruments.
“Bruce Springsteen, and Nebraska, in particular, have had a profound impact on me and my work,” said Cooper in a statement announcing 20th Century and Disney’s boarding. “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.
Cooper continued, “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.”
The studio hopes to be in production this fall.
Cooper, who last directed Christian Bale in period mystery The Pale Blue Eye, is repped by CAA and Jackoway Austen. White, who won an Emmy last fall for his performance in FX’s The Bear, is repped by WME and Management 360.
