The Bikeriders, the next film by Jeff Nichols, has reportedly assembled an impressive ensemble, as reported by Deadline. New cast members are added to the film adaptation of photographer Danny Lyon’s book of the same name, which features the likes of Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, and Tom Hardy. Comer, an accomplished actress who has won several awards, has demonstrated her chops in films and television series such as Help and Killing Eve. Butler, whose breakthrough performance was as Elvis in Baz Lurhmann’s recent biopic.
Anyone who is familiar with the work of British actor Tom Hardy knows that he gives his all to every job he plays, whether it be the quiet hero in an action flick like Mad Max: Fury Road or the central character in a mind-bending psychological thriller like Inception. The Bikeriders has an exciting cast, which bodes well for the success of the picture. This film takes a nontraditional approach to script in that it is inspired by the work of a groundbreaking documentary photographer. Lyon’s book is a collection of images taken that year of bikers.
However, in its initial introduction, it failed to get much attention in the photographic community. In contrast, contemporary documentary photographers see Lyon’s book as a seminal and formative contribution to the field. Unlike more conventional works, Nichols’ picture has no clear equivalent in the literary world. The story occurs in the 1960s and follows a motorcycle club in the Midwest as it transforms from a close-knit group resisting conventional conventions to a more menacing and violent biker gang intent on removing everyone who goes against them, even original members.
Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones produced The Bikeriders for Tri-State, a production business co-owned by Nichols and Green, with New Regency also serving as producer. Producer Fred Berger is on board. Nichols has been working on the movie since at least the beginning of this year, so it comes as no shock that he has assembled an A-list cast for it. His past work includes the films Mud (featuring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon) and Take Shelter (with Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain). Another picture that Nichols is presently developing is Yankee Comandante, which is based on an essay by David Grann of the same name published in The New Yorker.