“The Wettest County in the World”, a film based on Matt Bondurant’s novel about Depression era bootleggers in Franklin county began as a studio project for director John Hillcoat. Last year Columbia put the film in turnaround, so the Virginia story is seeking independent financing.
The Hollywood Reporter’s blog Risky Business reports that “the next generation of Hollywood A-listers” are interested in portraying the three brothers and the newsman the movie revolves around. Shia LeBeouf, Ryan Gosling, and Paul Dano are mentioned.
In an online article from the Roanoke Times, Virginia Film Office official Mary Nelson points out how important incentives are for attracting big budget productions like this to the State. With Hillcoat fresh off the success of his adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel “The Road”, a strong incentive package from Virginia would go a long way towards landing this story of Western Virginia outlaws for filming in the New River Valley.
