Justin Timberlake has signed on to star in the indie drama Palmer. Cheryl Guerriero has written the script, and Fisher Stevens will direct.
The script appeared on the 2016 Hollywood Black List of best unproduced screenplays. It follows a former college football star who gets out of prison and returns to his hometown to get his life back on track. However, he’s confronted by lingering conflicts from his past, and suddenly finds himself in charge of a unique young boy who has been abandoned by his mother.
Charles B. Wessler, having just won a Best Picture Oscar for Green Book, will produce alongside SK Global, and production is slated to begin later this year. John Penotti and Charlie Corwin, co-CEOs of SK Global, said in a statement:
“Justin and Fisher bring a resonant perspective to this emotional story. It is both timely and ultimately a hopeful, entertaining story about the resilience and power of human kindness”.
This is Timberlake’s first role for a while. He last appeared in Woody Allen‘s Wonder Wheel. He had an acting bump in the early 2010’s, appearing in films such as The Social Network and Friends With Benefits that showed off his talent in front of the camera. However his roles have been few and far between in recent years, and it was assumed he had now put increased focus on his music.
Director Stevens won an Oscar as a producer on the 2010 documentary The Cove. He’s directed the HBO documentary Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced documentary Before The Flood. He’s also an actor who can be seen in Succession and Edward Norton‘s upcoming Motherless Brooklyn adaptation.
#Peace.Love.Palmer
