David Greenbaum Makes a Statement As 20th Century Lands Bruce Springsteen Film
The David Greenbaum era at Walt Disney Studios kicked off with a bang today as 20th Century announced that it would finance and release Deliver Me From Nowhere, a Bruce Springsteen biopic in development about the creation of his album Nebraska.
The film will be written and directed by Scott Cooper and star Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Allen White (The Bear).
Deliver Me From Nowhere will shine a spotlight on a particularly important moment in Springsteen’s life and will find The Boss grappling with personal demons while trying to wrap his head around the idea that he is a global superstar. From this frame of mind, Springsteen would write and record his stripped-down classic album Nebraska.
A24 Had Been Expected To Distribute the Film
The film was reportedly set to be distributed by A24 before Greenbaum swooped in. According to Deadline, Greenbaum and 20th Century head Steve Asbell were with the Deliver Me From Nowhere team at Springsteen’s concert in Los Angeles last night. Both men are big Springsteen fans.
Eventually, there was a bidding war between the two distributors, but Greenbaum did what he had to do in order to secure the film’s rights.
The David Greenbaum Era Has Arrived
Greenbaum was named President of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios last February.
He replaced Sean Bailey, whose live-action strategy relied almost exclusively on remakes of animated films and theme park attractions.
Unlike Bailey, Greenbaum is known for working with cutting-edge filmmakers and developing Oscar-nominated projects. Needless to say, the shift from Bailey to Greenbaum was a drastic one.
Greenbaum and Cooper have a relationship that goes back years. The former was co-head of Searchlight when Cooper made Antlers and was there as the former actor transitioned into a writer-director.
Springsteen Will Be Involved in the Film’s Creation
As for Deliver Me From Nowhere, the expectation is that Springsteen and his longtime manager, Jon Landau, will be actively involved in the project. Additionally, the film will feature music from Springsteen’s albums The River, Nebraska, and Born in the USA.
Deliver Me From Nowhere is expected to get a theatrical release before finding its way to streaming. As of now, there is no release date for the film.