Toronto 2012: Nicolas Cage to Star in David Gordon Green's 'Joe'

TORONTO -- Nicolas Cage is set to star in David Gordon Green's Joe, based on Larry Brown's novel.

our editor recommends

Nicolas Cage to Join 'Expendables 3,' Says Producer

Nicolas Cage to Attend Italy's Giffoni Festival for Young Film Lovers

New financing and production company Worldview Entertainment -- which has a major presence at this year's Toronto Film Festival -- is backing the gritty Southern drama. Gary Hawkins is adapting for the big screen.

London-based WestEnd Films is handling international sales and shopping the project to foreign buyers gathered in Toronto for the festival. CAA, which packaged and arranged financing for Joe, is handling domestic rights.

Joe tells the story of an ex-con who becomes the unlikeliest of role models to 15-year-old Gary Jones, the oldest child of a homeless family ruled by a drunk, worthless father. Together they try to find a path to redemption and the hope for a better life in the rugged, dirty world of small town Mississippi.

"When Larry Brown wrote the novel Joe, he instantly created an iconic character of contemporary Southern literature," Gordon Green said. "It is with great excitement that I've been able to work with Nicolas Cage to design an absolute and unexpected performance piece that is woven from the darkness, beauty, humor and environment of this material."
 
Added Worldview CEO Christopher Woodrow: “Joe is an elevated and unapologetic drama that has great potential creatively and commercially. David and Nic are the perfect team to put this on the big screen, and we look forward to sharing in their success.”