Ed Harris, one of the wonderful character actors we don’t speak enough of, has actually directed two films in his career, and they were both good: 2000’s “Pollock” and 2008’s “Appaloosa.” He’s now set out to direct his third feature.
Harris’ adaptation of Kim Zupan’s acclaimed novel “The Ploughmen,” will star Owen Teague, Nick Nolte and Bill Murray. The “neo-noir crime” thriller will start production this fall in Montana. Amy Madigan and Lily Harris are also set to co-star.
“Been trying to get this film made for a while,” said Harris, a four-time Oscar nominee. “It’s worth the wait to tell this intriguing story with a great cast and crew and the beauty of Montana.” Here’s the synopsis, via Variety:
Set in the wilderness of Montana, the film will tackle the strange friendship that develops between a haunted young deputy sheriff and a notorious old murderer. John Gload (Nolte) is the apprehended killer. Val Millimaki (Teague) is low man in the Copper County Sheriff department. As Val continues his unlucky streak of finding dead bodies, Sheriff (Murray) puts him on night duty to try and get Gload to reveal his past. Val finds much in common with his prisoner, and dangerously seeks counsel from him.
“The Ploughmen” is being described in the vein of “Hell or High Water” and “Wind River.” The peculiar casting here resides in Nolte, 83, who hasn’t really been in many theatrically released films these last few years. The last big movie he was in was the 2015 Adam Sandler/Netflix vehicle “The Ridiculous 6.” He also had a small role in 2019’s “Angel Has Fallen.”
