If you know anything about the folks here at The Playlist, it’s that we love to highlight indie films that really excite us, especially those that tend to fly under the radar of the typical film watcher. And last year, one of those films (and one of my personal favorites) was “Donnybrook” by filmmaker Tim Sutton. It’s a film that struck a chord with me in a way that ensures I’ll check out anything the director works on from here on, including the project he’s currently filming, “The Last Son of Isaac LeMay.”
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2019 You Didn’t See
Now, thanks to the ubiquity of Instagram, we’re able to see some first looks at the production of the cold weather Western that Sutton is cooking up and the eclectic cast he has put together to help tell the story. The cast for ‘Last Son’ includes Heather Graham, Sam Worthington, Thomas Jane, and Colson Baker (aka rapper Machine Gun Kelly). And in the behind-the-scenes photos, we see that those folks are also joined by Alex Meraz and Hiram A. Murray.
READ MORE: ‘Donnybrook’: A Brutal, Blistering Masterwork Of American Desperation [TIFF Review]
As mentioned, the film is directed by Sutton, based on a script by Greg Johnson. ‘Last Son’ tells the story of LeMay (Worthington) that is on a mission to kill his sons after a dark prophecy predicts his own murder. With only one son left (Baker), LeMay is on a mission and is being tracked by bounty hunters and Sheriff Solomon (Jane), who are all hot on his trail.
While the cast might seem a little strange on paper, with a mixture of relative unknowns, established veterans, and…Machine Gun Kelly, this feels like a group that can be utilized well by Sutton, who has a knack for pulling great performances from his actors. Again, not to harp on “Donnybrook” more than I have done in the past (my love for that film has been documented quite frequently), but Sutton was working with Jamie Bell, Frank Grillo, and an unknown Margaret Qualley in that cast and all three turn in heartbreaking, scary performances (Qualley, in particular, does what might be her best work to date).
Recently, in a quote from Deadline, Sutton talked about working with Graham, specifically, and said, “I’m thrilled to get a chance to work with Heather, an actress who has created so many memorable characters in a number of iconic American movies throughout her career. I believe she’ll do it again in ‘Lemay.’”
Production is obviously underway now and judging by Sutton’s previous efforts, the shoot probably won’t last six months. So, there’s a strong shot that we’ll see “The Last Son of Isaac LeMay” at some point in 2021.
You can see first looks from the production on the posts below. And if you’re wanting to follow along, Sutton has been posting regular behind-the-scenes pictures on his Instagram feed.