Although he’s just wrapped Steven Stpielberg‘s Lincoln and is very, very old, Hal Holbrook has set his sights on an upcoming Gus Van Sant drama as his next project. Variety has reported that the seasoned actor is in negotiations to join Promised Land, which is written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski.
Originally, this project was meant to be Damon‘s directorial debut, but has since stepped down to the starring role, being that of a rival corporate executive to Krasinski‘s character, “whose life is thrown into disarray after he arrives in a small town.” Frances McDormand is also set to star as Damon‘s sales partner, “who prefers to follow the rules as opposed to breaking protocol.” Rosemarie DeWitt will also play “a schoolteacher caught between Damon and Krasinski‘s characters.”
Holbrook would join them as “an engineer who lives in the town and opposes a corporate takeover being led by Damon.” The 87-year-old actor was last seen in Water for Elephants as well as 2007’s Into the Wild and 2009’s That Evening Sun. As if the cast needs any more sustainability, having his involvement surely wouldn’t hurt the project by any means. With production just getting underway, don’t expect Promised Land until next year.
What do you think of this updated casting for Promised Land?