The jury’s still out on the potency of Garret Hedlund‘s star power. The actor proved reasonably charismatic in his earliest roles in “Troy,” “Four Brothers” and the big-screen “Friday Night Lights,” but made some questionable choices after that — see, or rather don’t, “Death Sentence” and “Eragon.” Since then, the actor was picked out to lead tentpole “Tron: Legacy,” but the film was rotten, and Hedlund was pretty bad in it, so he’s not quite turned into the leading man that many picked him out as.
But then again, things are looking up: Hedlund stars in Walter Salles much-anticipated “On The Road,” which bows in Cannes next week, he’s featuring in the Coen Brothers‘ “Inside Llewyn Davis,” and he’s just been announced as leading a new indie film that’s assembled an outstanding cast.
According to a press release, Hedlund will lead Amy Adams, Richard Jenkins, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls“) and “Downton Abbey” star Jessica Brown-Findlay (a cast with seven Oscar nominations between them) in “Lullaby,” a film that marks the writing and directing debut of fine artist Andrew Levitas, who’s moved into producing in recent years with last year’s “The Art Of Getting By” and Ramin Bahrani‘s upcoming “At Any Price.”
Hedlund will play a man who discovers that his critically ill father (Jenkins) has decided to turn off his life support machine, and sets out to reunite with his estranged family in the 48 hours before he passes, in what’s described as “an unexpected journey of love, laughter and forgiveness.” Radiant Films and Avenue Films (“Angels In America“) are producing.
While it sounds a little rote in premise, you can’t argue with the pedigree of that cast, a nice mix of veterans and rising stars, and we’re intrigued to see what Levitas can bring to the mix. Filming gets underway next month in New York.
