After weeks of speculation, 20th Century Studios announced on April 8 that it will begin production on a feature film based on the making of Bruce Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska, titled Deliver Me From Nowhere. Scott Cooper -- who previously directed the music-themed Crazy Heart -- will write and direct, with The Bear star Jeremy Allen White on tap to play Springsteen. (According to the studio's press release, White is still "in talks" to take the role, though it would be unusual for a film studio to make such an announcement unless negotiations were in their final stages.) The film is scheduled to being shooting this autumn.
“I once read that Nebraska is an album that moves you to the marrow of your bones. I couldn’t agree more,” Cooper said in a statement. “Bruce Springsteen, and Nebraska, in particular, have had a profound impact on me and my work. 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.
Springsteen and manager Jon Landau will both be involved with the project.
The film will be based on Warren Zanes' 2023 book, Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, and per the studio's statement, both Springsteen and his longtime manager Jon Landau will be involved in the project.
“Warren Zanes’ Deliver Me From Nowhere is one of the best books ever written about Bruce Springsteen and his music,” Landau said in a statement. “Bruce and I are thrilled that Scott Cooper has chosen to write and direct the film based on that book – we think he’s the perfect filmmaker for the job. Scott, with producers Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson at the Gotham Group, and Scott Stuber are bringing together a superb team to ensure that this project has the vision and soul that have been the hallmark of Bruce’s 55-year career. We’re thrilled to have the wholehearted commitment and support of the entire team at 20th and Disney."
Springsteen's 'Nebraska' was a dark, stripped-down effort released prior to his blockbuster 'Born in the U.S.A.'
Released in between Springsteen's double-album The River and the Diamond-selling Born in the U.S.A., Nebraska was an anomaly in Springsteen's early work. Essentially a collection of demos, the stripped-down album contained several of Springsteen's darkest, bleakest compositions, from the fatalistic storytelling of "Atlantic City" to the bitter class-struggle of "Used Cars"...not to mention the title track, which is sung from the perspective of midcentury serial killer Charles Starkweather. The song "Highway Patrolman" was later covered by Johnny Cash, and inspired Sean Penn's directorial debut, The Indian Runner. Though its sales paled in comparison to the far more polished Born in the U.S.A., it has since come to be regarded as a classic, and Q ranked the album at No. 13 on its list of the Best Albums of the 1980s.
Scott Cooper ('Crazy Heart,' 'Hostiles') will write and direct the film.
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Cooper, whose most recent films include Antlers, Hostiles and Black Mass, first came to prominence as the writer and director of Crazy Heart. A portrait of an alcoholic country singer, the film won Jeff Bridges his first Academy Award for Best Actor in 2010, as well as a Best Original Song Oscar for Ryan Bingham's "The Weary Kind."
As for Springsteen, he's recently returned to the road after postponing a stretch of his tour due to an ulcer last autumn. Later this summer, he's set to be inducted as an Academy Fellow of the Ivors Academy in the U.K., becoming the first-ever international songwriter the Academy has inducted into Fellowship in its 80-year history.
