Earlier this summer, it was reported that David Gordon Green had shot a “secret” film with Emile Hirsch and Paul Rudd, a low-key dramedy about two highway maintainence workers called Prince Avalanche. While there hasn’t been much news on that project, it’s now being reported that Green has another movie in development, this time with Nicolas Cage in the lead. Simply titled Joe, the film tells the story of an ex-con who becomes an unlikely role model to a teenager whose “family is ruled by a drunk, worthless father.” Together, the two attempt to find a better life in small town Mississippi. Green describes the film as a “performance piece” and says it contains “darkness, beauty, and humor,” signaling that, like Prince Avalanche, this should serve as a return to the director’s early work (George Washington, Undertow).

I think most fans of David Gordon Green will welcome a return to his earlier type of material, especially after the director spent his last few outings on broad comedies like Your Highness and The Sitter, both commercial and critical disappointments. Joe should also provide Nicolas Cage with a change of pace as well after doing generic thrillers and action films for the most part. Every now and then he reminds us that he’s capable of something more challenging and hopefully this can turn into one of those opportunities. Will you be looking forward to David Gordon Green coming back to dramatic territory? How do you see Nicolas Cage fitting into Green’s aesthetic?