Tubi has officially started production on The Thicket, a dark Western thriller that's based on the novel of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale. Deadline reports that Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) is set to star in the film alongside Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets). The movie is described as a "longtime passion project" for Dinklage, who's also on board as a producer for the adaptation. Christopher Kelly wrote the script and Elliott Lester is directing.
“I’m so very excited to bring Joe Lansdale’s riveting story to the screen,” Dinklage, a huge fan of the source material, said in a statement. “A journey into the heart of darkness to find love and return it to its rightful place.”
Tubi's Chief Content Officer, Adam Lewinson, added, "As Tubi deepens its commitment to a wide range of genres, we are incredibly excited to begin production on The Thicket, which has been a passion project for so many involved. This elevated Western thriller led by Peter Dinklage and an exceptionally talented team of artists delivers on genre expectations while adding so much more to make the journey into The Thicket unique and mesmerizing.”
Along with Dinklage and Lewis, The Thicket will also star Esme Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Leslie Grace, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Macon Blair, Ned Dennehy, Andrew Schulz, Arliss Howard, and Metallica's James Hetfield.
Peter Dinklage's Passion Project Comes to Life at Tubi
Word is that Dinklage has been trying to make this movie for more the past decade, going back to when he was starring as the fan favorite character Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones. Prior to the pandemic, he had one version of the project all set to go with a different cast, but that incarnation died in development hell. Though the years continued to pass, Dinklage clearly was never willing to let go of the adaptation.
Per the report, the movie "follows an innocent young man, Jack (Hawke), who goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula (Creed-Miles) after she has been kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill (Lewis) and her gang. To save her, Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones (Dinklage), a grave-digging alcoholic son of an ex-slave (Akinnagbe), and a street-smart prostitute (Grace). The gang tracks Cut Throat Bill into the deadly no-man’s land known as The Big Thicket — a place where blood and chaos reign."
Dinklage is producing with Tubi Films, Estuary Films' David Ginsberg, Nomadic Pictures' Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev, Hollywood Gang's Gianni Nunnari, MiLu Entertainment's Andre L III, and The Exchange's Caddy Vanasirikul and Brian O'Shea.
The Thicket doesn't yet have a premiere date set at Tubi.