Streaming service Tubi has begun filming the western thriller The Thicket, based on Joe R. Lansdale’s novel of the same name. According to Deadline, the movie is directed and produced by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage.
Filming takes place in Calgary, Canada. Juliette Lewis co-stars with Dinklage (“Hornet”), Esme Creed-Miles (“Hanna”), Levon Hawke (son of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, brother of Maya Hawke), Leslie Grace (“On the cusp of a dream”, “Batgirl”) and Gbenga Akinnagbe (“Hearing”). The film also included Metallica frontman James Hetfield, who previously starred in the Ted Bundy thriller The Beautiful, the Bad, the Ugly. The director is Elliott Lester, best known for the films No Compromise with Jason Statham and Aftermath with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Bush (the title of the novel is a reference to the wooded Great Bush in East Texas, which historically served as a refuge for many criminals) takes place at the turn of the century. At the center of the plot is a young man, Jack. (Hawke), who went to save his sister Lula (Creed Miles), kidnapped by a ruthless killer (Lewis) and his gang. This hero will help the bounty hunter (Dinklage), an alcoholic gravedigger (Akinnagbe) and a prostitute (Grace). The team discovers that criminals are hiding in the “Blood and Chaos” Great Bush.
A movie adaptation of The Thicket starring Dinklage has been in development for a decade, according to Deadline. In February 2020, the same producers were already going to release the film with a different cast (again led by Dinklage), but the project had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Previously Robert De Niro will reportedly star in the thriller series Day Zero for Netflix.