One of cinema’s most in-demand young actors today, Miles Teller, is continuing his foray into making kick-ass indies. Winning over countless throngs as the teen jazz drummer in this fall’s Whiplash, he’s made no bones about harbouring a deep passion for character-driven work. While he’s dabbled with mainstream studio fare like the Divergent series and Fantastic Four, he’s back from the lure of comic book fame to tackle the lead role in Marc Webb’s The Only Living Boy In New York.
The 500 Days Of Summer helmer similarly explored the world of studio franchises, as he was chiefly responsible for The Amazing Spider-Man reboot at Sony. He might be leaving the webbed superhero behind, but he won’t be relocating for this next feature. Much like the Spider-Man series, Living Boy is housed over at Sony, who put the pic on hold so Webb could concentrate on the comic book adaptation. While the filmmaker has yet to commit, as he’s also eyeing up Fox Searchlight’s The Gifted, now that Teller is all but a guarantee there’s a strong chance he’ll sign on.
Now, for a little background on the movie. The script originates from 21 scribe Allan Loeb, and follows the story “of a young man who learns that his overbearing father is having an affair. The son tries to stop it, but ends up becoming involved with the woman as well.” There’s shades of The Graduate in that brief logline, that Webb will no doubt handle with his unique perspective on relationships.
Speaking of, producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa are also no strangers to the human condition. Their Bona Fide Productions banner is responsible for a run of successful indies including Election, Cold Mountain, Little Miss Sunshine and Nebraska. With this calibre of talent behind the pic, The Only Living Boy In New York is a future title that already shows great promise.
