After proving that he can handle the studio blockbuster with aplomb, David Lowery is going back to his roots — or, specifically, now making something that sounds more like his first feature than his second. (It’s all relative to us, who only know what he’s doing when we see it.) His long-in-development The Old Man and the Gun, to which Robert Redford has been attached since April of 2013, is now moving forward with Casey Affleck as his co-star, and, as financing is in place, cameras are expected to roll this spring.
Based on David Grann‘s New Yorker article, which subscribers can read here, and scripted by Lowery, it concerns Forrest Tucker, whose criminal career (including “18 successful prison breaks”) barely dwindles as he reaches an advanced age, as well as a detective who, of course, is “captivated with Forrest’s commitment to his craft.” Redford and Affleck will play Tucker and the detective, respectfully, while casting has yet to be announced for “a woman who loves him in spite of his chosen profession.”
David Lowery’s Heat, then? Whatever the influence (or lack thereof), The Old Man and the Gun has a fine combination of talent, generational divide, and material — the sure-fire toast of Sundance 2018!