Woody Harrelsonis The Best, right? FromWhite Men Can’t Jump,Natural Born KillersandThe People vs. Larry FlynttoNo Country for Old Men,True DetectiveandWar for the Planet of the Apes, he has always been one of my favorite actors thanks to his versatility and his intensity. I mean, if you don’t like Woody Harrelson, do you even like movies? He plays a pretty delightful weirdo, too, which is why he’s kind of perfect for the lead inTed Melfi’sFruit Loops, a drama that’s said to be in the vein ofOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
First of all,Cuckoo’s Nestis one of my all-time favorite movies and I think it is absolutely perfect in every way. Having said that, its general setting – that of a mental institution full of quirky patients – is actually fairly ripe for a new take. According to my sources, Melfi’s script follows a group of misfit mental patients who band together when their group is threatened by the hospital’s sudden sale. Even as aCuckoo’s Nestdevotee, that sounds like a movie I’d watch. I mean, it’s not like it’s a remake or anything. Whowouldn’tbe inspired byMilos Forman’s 1975 masterpiece, based on the classic novel byKen Kesey?
I’m told that Harrelson is nearing a deal to play Colonel Leonard F. Cubby, a life-long resident of Sunnyside who suffers from chronic PTSD as a result of endless tours in Vietnam, where he witnessed some terrible things. There’s also a young heroin addict who’s the son of a wealthy politician and looks out of place in the ward; a female hippie with multiple personalities, one of whom is a sex addict; a mildly autistic and bipolar mountain of a man who’s described as a gentle giant of few words (does Chief ring a bell?); and a female paranoid schizophrenic with religious delusions who records a daily vlog. That’s the quartet of characters who will join Harrelson, and it sure would be interested ifJack Nicholson’s son,Ray Nicholson, ends up playing the heroin addict. I understand it’s a juicy role on the page and some of Hollywood’s top young male talent will likely pursue it, but Nicholson is an up-and-coming actor who’d represent a passing of the torch as well as an homage to the film’s clear inspiration.
Fox 2000 and Chernin Entertainment are backing the project, which Fox 2000’sElizabeth Gablerbought as a pitch for seven figures back whenHidden Figureswas about to hit theaters. It went on to earn three Oscar nominations and gross $325 million worldwide, making Melfi’s next movie a coup.
Chernin Entertainment also produced Melfi’s 2014 movieSt. VincentstarringBill Murray, who interestingly enough, I’ve heard nearly starred inFruit Loops. However, Murray recently signed on to reunite with a different director and star inSofia Coppola’s father-daughter movieOn the RockswithRashida Jones, so he wasn’t expected to be available, and is said to be a hard-enough man to reach and schedule a movie around anyway.
Fruit Loopsis expected to be Melfi’s next movie even though he just signed on to direct the time-travel-themed sci-fi movieHarry’s All-Night Hamburgersfor Warner Bros. andAndrew Lazar’s Mad Chance banner. That film is based on the 1987 Hugo Award-winning short story byLawrence Watt-Evans, and the script bySteve DesmondandMichael Shermanis said to be a cross betweenBack to the FutureandHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The story follows a down-on-his-luck high school student who discovers that the roadside diner where he works nights is actually an intergalactic hangout for time-travelers.THRbroke that news on Wednesday.
Melfi, who recently did a polish on the script for Sony’sThe Phantom Tollboothand continues to develop an adaptation ofMark Millar’s comicHuckat Netflix, is represented by UTA.
As for Harrelson, he’s coming offSolo: A Star Wars Storyand the Best Picture nomineeThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, plus he made a brief appearance in Sony’s blockbuster comic book movieVenom, and is slated for a larger role in the sequel. Frankly, it’s because he has another big-budget movie on the horizon that I’m glad Harrelson is taking the time to do something that’s a bit smaller and more character-based. He next stars in Netflix’sThe HighwaymenwithKevin Costnerand inRoland Emmerich’s war movieMidway, as well as Sony’s long-gestating sequelZombieland: Double Tap. He’s repped by CAA, and his casting was first reported by Deadline.
