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John Hillcoat's Next Adaptation Already Has a Cast & New Title?

by Ethan Anderton
November 29, 2009
Source: SlashFilm, Collider

Though the The Road only just recently hit theaters over this past Thanksgiving weekend, director John Hillcoat has already been hard at work on a variety of different projects. Though we pointed out a few of them back in September, one that we overlooked is a potential adaptation of The Wettest County in the World, scripted by Nick Cave and based on the novel of the same name by Matt Bondurant. Now, through deductive logic, Collider reveals that the film is now called The Promised Land, via a plain promo poster on display at the American Film Market listing actors Shia LeBeouf, Ryan Gosling and Amy Adams.

However, the catch (as SlashFilm carefully observed) is the tiny print at the bottom of the poster that states "credits not contractual." So while it sounds like the rumors earlier this month have some validity, nothing is certain yet, and that includes the possibility of the film itself even being made as they're still raising funds. But with Hillcoat and this cast, I'm hopeful that this one comes together smoothly. This adaptation is unique in its own way in that the story is fictionalized, but based on the real life ancestors of author Matt Bondurant who were "bootlegging brothers runnin' stills, runnin' loads, and runnin' from the law in Depression-era Virginia." But until we get some official word on casting or a greenlight, we'll just have to sit in anticipation.

The Wettest County in the World follows the Bondurant family and their "moonshine enterprise" in a story that evokes the culture of distilling and distributing white lightning. It picks up a few years after a climactic confrontation with the county sheriff. "To optimistic Jack, bootlegging is both a bond to his older brothers, Forrest and Howard, and a means to make cash to impress a girl." It sounds like the girl that Jack is after will be played by Amy Adams, or at least that's what we're speculating based on this casting. While we wait for an update, you might as well pick up a copy of the book via Amazon and/or go see Hillcoat's The Road.

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