2016 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Andrew Neel’s Goat

You can only have an actor attached for so long until they “grow” out of the role and you can only have a director on board for a short lapse until they move onto other projects. The wobbled history of Goat, a book to film adaptation begins back in 2004 when we first reported that David Gordon Green would direct the project. A 2005 update that Emile Hirsch would topline and then the baton was passed onto Jeff Nichols in 2007 when he was suppose to have taken over the director’s chair. Flash-forward to late last year when James Franco joined forces with Killer Films, and Andrew Neel (a fiction and non-fiction filmmaker with already five features under his belt including 2012’s King Kelly) was hired – thus landing the coveted directing gig. Production took place in May in Cincinnati, and if this takes a truly savage, rough hewn approach, no doubt that a dated novel will feel just as purposeful and vibrate today. Perhaps this could be Nick Jonas’ way into acting a la Justin Timberlake in Alpha Dog.

Gist: Based on the screenplay by David Gordon Green, with revisions by Neel and Mike Roberts (co-writer on King Kelly), this is based on Brad Land’s memoir, which deals with themes of masculinity, violence and brotherhood, recounting the author’s experience as a recovering assault victim drawn into the barbaric humiliation rituals of fraternity hazing during his freshman year at Clemson U.

Production Co./Producers: Rabbit Bandini’s James Franco and Vince Jolivette and Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and David Hinojosa (Nasty Baby). Co-producer: Karri O’Reilly. Executive producers: Robert Halmi Jr. (Frank & Lola), Jim Reeve (Young Adam), John Wells (Love & Mercy).

Prediction: Premieres category.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. TBD (domestic). TBD (international)

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