Jeremy Allen White could be playing Bruce Springsteen in new biopic
From The Beef to The Boss – Jeremy Allen White might be stepping into the shoes of one of music’s all-time-greats. White is in talks to play the rock superstar in Deliver Me From Nowhere, which will be produced by A24, according to Variety. Based on Warren Zanes’ 2023 book of the same name, the movie is set to focus on the making of Springsteen’s 1982 album, Nebraska.
The taping of the album was remarkably rapid, with 10 of the songs laid down during one night in January 1982 in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom on the four-track cassette. The same night, he also recorded five other songs, including the demo for Born in the USA, which was released two years later with the E Street Band.
“Nebraska expressed a turmoil that was reflective of the mood of the country, but it was also a symptom of trouble in the artist’s life, the beginnings of a mental breakdown that Springsteen would only talk about openly decades after the album’s release,” reads an official description of Zanes’ book about the album’s making on Penguin Random House‘s website.
Scott Cooper is adapting the script with plans to direct, while Eric Robinson and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein are on board as producers. Former Netflix film head Scott Stuber is also involved.
While Springsteen’s life has not been put to the screen before in a biopic, the musician’s legacy and impact was explored in the 2019 film Blinded by the Light, which follows a British Muslim teenager in 1980’s England who finds inspiration in Springsteen’s music.
News of the film comes as Springsteen is set to make history as the first international songwriter to be awarded an Ivors Academy fellowship. The US singer-songwriter, dubbed The Boss, will become the 27th person to receive the academy’s highest honour during a ceremony at Grosvenor House in London on May 23rd. The rock star will become the first international songwriter inducted into the fellowship in its 80-year history, following his “outstanding contribution to the craft of songwriting” and his “impact on the UK’s cultural landscape”.
Meanwhile, White last appeared on the big screen in 2023’s The Iron Claw, in which he played the late professional wrestler Kerry Von Erich opposite Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich. The actor is coming off a series of awards season wins for his FX series The Bear, having recently taken home trophies at the 2023 Emmy Awards, 2024 Golden Globes and 2024 Critics Choice Awards in January and at the 2024 SAG Awards in February.
