It looks like Jason Reitman is moving along with his next film. EW reports that Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin will play the leads in Reitmanâs adaptation of Joyce Manardâs novel Labor Day. The book tells the story of a lonely mother whose 13-year-old son convinces her to take in a drifter who turns out to be a convicted murderer. Reitman wrote the screenplay and will direct the drama, which is set to start shooting in New England in 2012.I was a huge fan of the writer/directorâs Up in the Air, and Winslet and Brolin are both phenomenal actors, so itâs safe to say Iâm looking forward to this one. Reitman is currently busy in post-production on Young Adult, a film he directed from a script by his Juno companion Diablo Cody. Young Adult stars Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and Patton Oswalt, and Paramount is set to distribute. Brolin was initially interested in that film, but apparently scheduling couldn't be worked out. Now it looks like he'll get his chance to work with Reitman after all. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of Maynardâs novel.Hereâs the synopsis for Labor Day:
With the end of summer closing in and a steamy Labor Day weekend looming in the town of Holton Mills, New Hampshire, thirteen-year-old Henryâlonely, friendless, not too good at sportsâspends most of his time watching television, reading, and daydreaming about the soft skin and budding bodies of his female classmates. For company Henry has his long-divorced mother, Adeleâa onetime dancer whose summer project was to teach him how to foxtrot; his hamster, Joe; and awkward Saturday-night outings to Friendly's with his estranged father and new stepfamily. As much as he tries, Henry knows that even with his jokes and his "Husband for a Day" coupon, he still can't make his emotionally fragile mother happy. Adele has a secret that makes it hard for her to leave their house, and seems to possess an irreparably broken heart.
But all that changes on the Thursday before Labor Day, when a mysterious bleeding man named Frank approaches Henry and asks for a hand. Over the next five days, Henry will learn some of life's most valuable lessons: how to throw a baseball, the secret to perfect piecrust, the breathless pain of jealousy, the power of betrayal, and the importance of putting othersâespecially those we loveâabove ourselves. And the knowledge that real love is worth waiting for.
In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy, acclaimed author Joyce Maynard weaves a beautiful, poignant tale of love, sex, adolescence, and devastating treachery as seen through the eyes of a young teenage boyâand the man he later becomesâlooking back at an unexpected encounter that begins one single long, hot, life-altering weekend. [Amazon]