Dreams do come true and for Peter Dinklage, the stars are beginning to align perfectly for a passion project of his. Tubi has announced that it has begun production on a dark Western thriller, The Thicket which is based on the novel of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale. Dinklage is set to star in the movie alongside Yellowjackets’ Juliette Lewis. Production is underway in Calgary, Canada with Dinklage also serving as producer on the project.
Per Deadline’s report, The Thicket "follows an innocent young man, Jack, who goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula after she has been kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill and her gang. To save her, Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones, a grave-digging alcoholic son of an ex-slave, and a street-smart prostitute. The gang tracks Cut Throat Bill into the deadly no-man’s land known as The Big Thicket — a place where blood and chaos reign."
This film has been described as a "longtime passion project" for Dinklage. The actor’s interest in this work stretches back to when he played the brilliant, scheming Tyrion Lannister in HBO’s hit series, Game of Thrones. “I’m so very excited to bring Joe Lansdale’s riveting story to the screen,” said Dinklage regarding the project. “A journey into the heart of darkness to find love and return it to its rightful place.” It might have taken nearly a decade, with a previous project halted by the pandemic, however, now it’s finally getting done.
Speaking about the film, Tubi's Chief Content Officer, Adam Lewinson, noted excitement at getting the project up and running with all involved, saying "As Tubi deepens its commitment to a wide range of genres, we are incredibly excited to begin production on The Thicket, which has been a passion project for so many involved. This elevated Western thriller led by Peter Dinklage and an exceptionally talented team of artists delivers on genre expectations while adding so much more to make the journey into The Thicket unique and mesmerizing.”
The Thicket is set to be directed by Elliot Lester from a script written by Christopher Kelly. Alongside Dinklage and Lewis, the upcoming thriller will also star Esme Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Leslie Grace, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Macon Blair, Ned Dennehy, Andrew Schulz, Arliss Howard, and Metallica's James Hetfield. Production on the film is done by Dinklage alongside Tubi Films, Nomadic Pictures' Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev, Estuary Films' David Ginsberg, Hollywood Gang's Gianni Nunnari, The Exchange's Caddy Vanasirikul and Brian O'Shea and MiLu Entertainment's Andre L III.
The Thicket currently doesn’t have a release date set. Watch a trailer for one of Dinklage's upcoming works: