Coming off of his well-received drama The Company You Keep, Robert Redford has found his next directing gig and it’s one we already know a great deal about. It was reported last month that Richard Linklater was stepping into helm an adaptation of Bill Bryson‘s memoir A Walk In The Woods with Redford and Nick Nolte leading, but now we’ve got word that the Sundance Film Festival co-founder will be performing double duty.
According to ScreenDaily, Redford has now taken over directing duties for Linklater. Scripted by Michael Arndt (Star Wars: Episode VII, Toy Story 3), the film sees Redford in the role of Bryson, while Nolte plays Stephen Katz, two childhood friends who reunite for an outdoor trip, as they attempt to conquer the Appalachian Trail. Redford had previously described the film “the kind of movie that has something to say but can also be really commercial because it’s just so funny,” as we follow the pair “making sly observations about the world around them and their own lives.”
Redford will also be keeping busy on the studio side of things, recently booking a role as a S.H.I.E.L.D. member in the currently shooting Captain America: The Winter Solider. For those that would like to avoid spoilers, they can steer clear now, as a recent interview with The Straits Times (via Screen Rant) reveals his role.
First, he explained why he’s doing the film, saying, “I think a career requires a certain amount of reinvention. If you get caught in one track I think that can be dangerous. Success has a dark side to it. you want to be careful if you’ve had success at something, that you not try and follow it by just duplicating it. That’s why I’m doing this Captain America thing.” For the big reveal he said, “I like the idea of playing a villain…I did that just because it’s a different thing for me to do.” So, perhaps a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent gone bad? Or just someone that stands in the way of Chris Evans? All will be revealed next April when the film hits theaters.
Did you want to see Linklater direct Woods? What do you think of this Captain America news?