Hollywood’s latest casting coup has tongues wagging and eyebrows raising — Jeremy Allen White, fresh from setting Instagram ablaze with those Calvin Klein shots, is trading his chef’s apron for a guitar strap. The Bear star’s transformation into Bruce Springsteen might just be the most intriguing piece of casting since, well, Margot Robbie donned those pink heels last summer.
“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” just nabbed the coveted Spotlight Gala slot at NYFF 63, and darlings, this isn’t your grandmother’s rock biopic. (Though she’d probably love it anyway — who doesn’t love The Boss?)
Scott Cooper’s deep dive into the making of “Nebraska” — that raw, haunting masterpiece Springsteen recorded on a four-track cassette recorder — promises something deliciously different from the usual sex-drugs-and-rock’n’roll formula. The film traces Bruce’s journey from that sparse, soul-bearing album through his explosion into “Born in the U.S.A.” superstardom. Think less “stadium anthem” and more “bedroom confession.”
The casting? Simply *chef’s kiss* perfect. Jeremy Strong (still riding high from Succession’s epic finale) steps in as Jon Landau, while Stephen Graham and Gaby Hoffmann bring Bruce’s complicated family dynamics to life. And keep an eye on Odessa Young — that girl’s been quietly stealing scenes since before TikTok was a thing.
Word from the Lincoln Center crowd (you know, those impossibly chic arbiters of taste who practically live in black turtlenecks) suggests this might be the rare biopic that actually gets under its subject’s skin. Dennis Lim — never one to gush needlessly — practically swooned over the film’s intimacy. When was the last time anyone saw Dennis Lim swoon?
The October 24 release date? Honey, that’s no accident. Landing smack in the sweet spot between summer blockbuster fatigue and holiday movie madness, it’s practically screaming “Oscar bait!” Not that anyone’s counting their Academy Award chickens just yet… though that Jeremy Allen White acceptance speech would certainly be something to see.
Speaking of White — what perfect timing. Between his critically-acclaimed turn in The Bear’s fourth season and those billboard shots that caused multiple fender-benders on Sunset Boulevard, he’s having quite the moment. Stepping into Springsteen’s boots could be exactly what launches him from “hot new thing” to “serious leading man.”
The premiere at Alice Tully Hall promises to be absolutely electric, with The Boss himself confirmed to attend. (Note to self: Time to call in every favor accumulated in 15 years of covering Hollywood’s finest hours…)
Mark those calendars for October — this fall’s going to be all about Bruce. And Jeremy. And possibly a few more Calvin Klein moments, if we’re really lucky. But mostly Bruce.
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