“It’s rare when the thing that you’re working on so deeply reaches in your own life, your own history, your own family,” says director J.D. Dillard, whose forthcoming “Devotion” is as much a historical drama as it is an exploration of his own ancestry and childhood. While the script focuses on pioneering Naval aviator Jesse L. Brown (Jonathan Majors) and his unlikely friendship with fellow pilot Tom Hudner (Glen Powell), a friendship that crossed racial lines of demarcation in the 1950s, Dillard also cites the influence of having grown up the son of a Naval aviator.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Dillard explains how some of his first memories are of his father soaring high in the sky during airshows as a member of the Blue Angels. Having aviation in his blood helped Dillard during the production of “Devotion,” as his father, who had complained about the portrayal of aerial work in film for decades, advised the director on making the aerial sequences feel as authentic as possible.
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Here’s the official synopsis:
Devotion, an aerial war epic based on the bestselling book of the same name, tells the harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen.
Dillard broke out as a director in 2016 when “Sleight,” his directorial debut, garnered positive reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. His follow-up, “Sweetheart,” was released in 2019.
As recently as early 2020, Dillard was ambiguously attached to develop a “Star Wars” project. Of course, a lot has changed in the world since then, much of which has impacted how we consume content, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Dillard, Lucasfilm, or Disney changed their minds.
Jonathan Majors’ recent work includes co-starring in Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” in 2020 and a turn as Kang the Conqueror in the forthcoming “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” Rounding out the cast of “Devotion” will be Glen Powell, Joe Jonas, and Christina Jackson.
“Devotion” opens in limited release on October 14 and wide on October 28 via Sony Pictures.