When Greg Kwedar makes a movie, you really need to pay attention. Whether he’s a co-writer with Clint Bentley as with Jockey and the terrific upcoming drama Train Dreams, or he’s also the director as he was with the Oscar-nominated Sing Sing, Kwedar’s movies always make a powerful emotional impact. And now he’s lined up his next film, Possum Song, an unusual fantastical comedy that will star Miles Teller as an ambitious country singer who makes a Faustian bargain with a possum. F’real.
Kwedar will direct Possum Song from an original screenplay by author Isaac Adamson. The film is set up at FilmNation Entertainment, which had a fantastic year with Anora and Conclave, and will head to the Cannes sales market.
Eddie (Teller), an overconfident Nashville star who is hiding a dark secret: He stole the songs for his hit debut album. Now, with a new wife and a baby on the way, Eddie must write his follow-up solo or risk losing everything. But just when things seem most hopeless, Eddie discovers a musical genius in the form of a magical possum with whom he strikes a dangerous Faustian bargain.
Teller is coming off the genre mash-up The Gorge, one of the most talked about movies of the year so far. He’s obviously no stranger to playing musicians, as his breakout role in Whiplash saw him as a drummer.
Given the realism and authenticity Kwedar brings to his movies, don’t be shocked if we see genuine country music stars join the Possum Song cast.
