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Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon Set for Jeff Nichols' 'Mud'

by Alex Billington
August 5, 2011

One of my favorite surprises this year is Take Shelter, from director Jeff Nichols (Shotgun Stories), who's already hard at work on his next film Mud. We've heard about it before because Chris Pine was circling the lead, but an official press release from financiers Everest Entertainment (127 Hours, Win Win) confirms a completely different cast. Matthew McConaughey will play Mud, a charismatic fugitive who befriends a 14-year-old boy named Ellis, played by Tye Sheridan. Ellis helps his new friend escape from both the law and bounty hunters, in order to reunite Mud with his soul mate, Juniper, played by Reese Witherspoon.

This project seems interesting, but a bit bland from that first synopsis, though the producers claim otherwise. "Jeff wrote a visceral story full of compassion, innocence and memorable journeys," said FilmNation’s Aaron Ryder. "Nichols has written a beautiful story with rich characters learning valuable lessons through life-changing circumstances. With Jeff’s vision, this will be a work of art," says Lisa Maria Falcone of Everest Ent., who is producing Mud along with Sarah Green and FilmNation Entertainment's Aaron Ryder. "It's an incredible script which Jeff, along with Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Tye Sheridan, will bring to life. We've been privileged to work with incredible filmmakers like Danny Boyle, Tom McCarthy and Rodrigo Garcia and are thankful to add Jeff Nichols to that list," Falcone adds. I can certainly agree, having seen Take Shelter, that Nichols is definitely an up-and-coming director to watch.

While we wait for production to start, please add Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter (watch the trailer) to your list of films to see this fall - it hits limited theaters on October 7th. It's worth seeing, at the least for the skilled filmmaking and Michael Shannon, too. And while it may not sound intriguing at first glance, especially with McConaughey in the cast, I'm curious to see if Nichols' will surprise us once again with Mud. Stay tuned!

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