Justin Timberlakeis set to star in the indie dramaPalmerfrom directorFisher Stevens,it was announced Thursday by SK Global.
The script was written byCheryl Guerrieroand appeared on the 2016 Black List of Hollywood’s best unproduced screenplays. Timberlake will play a former college football phenom who gets out of prison and returns to his hometown to get his life back on track. Not only is he confronted with lingering conflicts from his past, but he suddenly finds himself in charge of a unique young boy who has been abandoned by his wayward mother, and turns out to be the man’s most surprising challenge of all.
Charles B. Wessler, fresh off his Oscar win forGreen Book, will produce alongside SK Global co-CEOsJohn PenottiandCharlie Corwin, as well asSidney KimmelandDaniel Nadler, who are co-financing the film. Production is slated to start later this year, marking Timberlake’s first live-action film sinceWoody Allen’s 2017 dramaWonder Wheel.
“Justin and Fisher bring a resonant perspective to this emotional story. It is both timely and ultimately a hopeful, entertaining story about the resilience and power of human kindness," Pennotti and Corwin said in a joint statement.
I have to admit, I’ve always liked watching Timberlake on the big screen, from great movies likeThe Social Networkto not-so-great movies likeSouthland Talesto everything in between, likeAlpha Dog. AndDavid Fincherisn’t the only master he’s worked with, having starring inClint Eastwood’sTrouble with the Curveand the Coen brothers’Inside Llewyn Davis. But those were a few years ago, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if he was still looking to act. Palmer definitely represents something different for Timberlake, but he could prove to be perfect for this kind of material. Timberlake recently wrapped DreamWorks Animation’sTrolls World Tour, a sequel to the firstTrollsmovie, which grossed over $346 worldwide and earned Timberlake an Oscar nomination for his chart-topping original song “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
Stevens won an Oscar as a producer on the 2010 documentaryThe Cove, and he previously directed both theLeonardo DiCaprio-produced documentaryBefore the Floodand the HBO documentaryBright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Stevens is also a well-known actor who can currently appears onSuccession, and will soon be seen inEdward Norton’sMotherless BrooklynandWes Anderson’sThe French Dispatch.
SK Global is the company behind the box office hitCrazy Rich Asiansand the Best Picture nomineeHell or High Water, as well as Netflix’s Hindi-language seriesDelhi Crime, which was recently renewed for a second season.
Timberlake is represented by WME and LBI Entertainment, while Stevens is repped by CAA. Guerriero is managed by Heroes and Villains Entertainment.
