Its title is terrible, but the romantic drama The Driftless Area is fast gathering an incredible cast. Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel are set to star, while John Hawkes, Frank Langella, Ciaran Hinds, Alia Shawkat and Aubrey Plaza will lend support.
Reporting out of the Cannes Film Festival, THR revealed that Aubrey Plaza is the latest addition to the cast. The Driftless Area is currently seeking distribution while its director, Zachary Sluser, shoots the film in Vancouver.
Following a string of short films, The Driftless Area marks Zachary Sluser's directorial debut. The drama is based on a novel by Tom Drury, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Sluser. Check out the official synopsis for the novel The Driftless Area below:
"Set in the rugged region of the Midwest that gives the novel its title, The Driftless Area is the story of Pierre Hunter, a young bartender with unfailing optimism, a fondness for coin tricks, and an uncanny capacity for finding trouble. When he falls in love, with the mysterious and isolated Stella Rosmarin, Pierre becomes the central player in a revenge drama he must unravel and bring to its shocking conclusion. Along the way he will liberate $77,000 from a murderous thief, summon the resources that have eluded him all his life, and come to question the very meaning of chance and mortality. For nothing is as it seems in The Driftless Area. Identities shift, violent secrets lie in wait, the future can cause the past, and love becomes a mission that can take you beyond this world."
Anton Yelchin will play The Driftless Area's hero, Pierre, while Zooey Deschanel will portray the lovely but cryptic Stella. John Hawkes, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his chilling performance in Winter's Bone as a icy thug, is set for the role of Shane, a temperamental criminal who has eyes for Stella. At this juncture, there's no word on what roles Frank Langella, Ciaran Hinds, Alia Shawkat or Aubrey Plaza might play. However, Coming Soon has uncovered this first look, which features Deschanel getting close to an awe-struck Yelchin.
No release dates have been announced for The Driftless Area just yet. In the meantime, you can look for Aubrey Plaza in the dark comedy About Alex on August 8th, as well as the zombie comedy Life After Beth, which will hit theater in the U.S. in limited release on August 15th. Alia Shawkat will also pop up in Life After Beth, but also boasts a supporting turn in the SXSW-selected rom-com Wild Canaries, which will play at BAMcinemaFest on June 20th.
