It’s kind of shocking that Adam Sandler has never been nominated for an Oscar, especially given how many times he’s absolutely delivered in dramatic roles. If you ask me, he should have been in that conversation years ago. But with a new project on the horizon, there’s a real sense that might finally change, because it sounds just like exactly the kind of role The Academy usually pays attention to.

Per Deadline, Sandler is teaming up with director Scott Cooper for a new psychological drama, Time Out, and it sounds very much in his wheelhouse, in the best way. The film follows a man who loses his job and, instead of telling his family, builds an increasingly complicated web of lies to hide the truth. It’s a premise that leans heavily into shame and desperation, all things he's proven he can play incredibly well.

Adam Sandler fans know that having a Netflix subscription is the easiest way to find his best movies. But if you need a reminder, let’s take a quick walk through some of his strongest dramatic roles, the ones that should have earned him a nomination, if not full-on Oscar gold, and prove he’s always been more than a comedic actor.

Adam Sandler Roles That Deserved An Oscar Nomination

For years, Adam Sandler has been stuck in this strange spot where everyone agrees he’s capable of great work, but the awards recognition just hasn’t followed. So let’s run through a few performances that easily could have been contenders for Oscar gold:

1. Punch-Drunk Love: This is still probably my favorite of his dramatic roles. Sure, Paul Thomas Anderson just picked up a Best Picture win for One Battle After Another, but Punch-Drunk Love is a modern masterpiece in its own right, and a big part of that is the Sand Man. He’s awkward, a little unhinged, then suddenly sincere and romantic. It’s such a specific, strange performance, and it totally works. I love that movie.
2. Reign Over Me: Sandler plays a man dealing with the loss of his family after 9/11. It’s heavy, emotional, and a clear reminder of just how much range he has when he leans into this kind of material.
3. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected): Here, he plays a divorced man moving back in with his father. It’s quieter, more grounded, and full of those small, lived-in moments that don’t always get flashy recognition but absolutely should.
4. Uncut Gems: This one feels like the biggest miss, as, for my money, it's not just one of Sandler's best movies but also A24's best flicks. That performance is pure anxiety in human form, chaotic in a way that’s almost impossible to pull off, and yet, no nomination.
5. Hustle: Even his more recent work continues to prove the same point. In Hustle, he plays an NBA scout on his last shot, bringing a worn-down, believable edge to a role that could’ve easily felt formulaic in someone else’s hands.
6. Jay Kelly: In Jay Kelly, Sandler stars alongside George Clooney in a Noah Baumbach drama about fame and legacy. Clooney plays an aging movie star, while Sandler plays his longtime manager. It’s another example of him settling into that more restrained, character-driven space he’s been quietly excelling in.

At this point, it’s not really a question of whether Sandler can deliver a great performance. He’s done it, over and over again. It’s more a question of why those performances haven’t translated into Oscar nominations yet.

Why 'Time Out' Gives Me Hope

Time Out is a remake of the French psychological drama L’Emploi du temps, and it feels like a slightly different lane for Adam Sandler. He’s been bouncing between broad comedies and more grounded roles for years now, and what’s always stood out is how easily he shifts between the two. One minute it’s something as big and silly as Happy Gilmore 2, the next it’s Jay Kelly, and it never feels like you’re watching two different actors. But this one sounds heavier.

Director Scott Cooper has been circling the project for nearly 25 years and has described Sandler’s character as someone “on the brink.” He didn’t have to pick something this intense, but he did.

There’s also something about the story itself that just clicks. Cooper has talked about how it explores identity, work, and self-worth, the kind of themes that tend to stick with you longer than your average drama. And then there’s the cast. Willem Dafoe, Gaby Hoffmann, F. Murray Abraham, Steve Zahn, Adam Horovitz. That’s not a casual lineup. That’s the kind of group you bring together when you’re aiming a little higher.

Look, predicting Oscar stuff is always a gamble. Great performances slip through every year. But this one? It feels like the right kind of project. The kind that gives Sandler space to do what he does best when he locks in, which is make something messy, human, and a little uncomfortable in the best way. I, for one, cannot wait to see what he does with this part.

Time Out doesn’t have a release date yet, so it’s still unclear whether it’ll land on the 2026 movie calendar. But as soon as that gets locked in, we’ll keep you posted.

Spoilers for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere lie ahead.

Bruce Springsteen’s story – well, at least part of it – is chronicled in the biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Written and directed by Scott Cooper, the film sees Jeremy Allen White take on the role of “The Boss,” and it centers on a very specific time in the beloved singer and musician’s life and career. Notably, Cooper’s flick mostly highlights the making of Springsteen's 1892 album, Nebraska. As for why that record – and not Born in the U.S.A. or another big album – is featured, Cooper explained the reasoning behind that.

To say that Springsteen has a major discography would be an understatement, and many would surely argue that Born in the U.S.A. is his most iconic album. Considering that record’s popularity and subject matter, it would seem obvious to make it the crux of a biopic. Cooper even acknowledged to EW that it would be somewhat easy to produce a film centered around Springsteen’s 1984 album. However, it seems that, for his film, the director wanted to get a bit more introspective via the ‘82 record:

In Deliver Me from Nowhere, Bruce Springsteen retreats to a rental home in Asbury Park for solace, and he along with recording engineer Mike Batlan (Paul Walter Hauser) also records some songs. After creating those acoustic tracks, Springsteen records songs that sound a bit more on brand for him, but he’s still drawn to the acoustic bits he initially produced. Those softer tunes are what Springsteen truly connects with, though and, via his manager Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong), he advocates for that first set of tracks, which end up populating Nebraska. However, during those sessions at the house, an early version of “Born in the U.S.A.” is also created and that along with a few other tunes are held over.

So, as Scott Cooper points out, there is a keen connection between Nebraska and Born in the U.S.A., with the eponymous song and other tracks from the latter even having been conceived while the former album was crafted. Yet Cooper’s decision to focus on the 1982 record allowed him to tell a more intimate story. With that, this film sheds light on Springsteen’s battle with depression and his confrontation with childhood trauma. Cooper also loves the artistry Springsteen applies to the album at the center of the movie:

Critics’ reactions to Deliver Me from Nowhere cite the movie’s somewhat melancholic tone. As dour as the film may be at times, it still paints a strong portrait of one of our most iconic entertainers, even without fully highlighting the ‘84 album that turned him into a true megastar. In addition to featuring a winning performance from Jeremy Allen White (who didn’t consult Austin Butler or other stars of music biopics), there are also subtle references Bruce Springsteen fans will appreciate while getting a sense of Nebraska’s origins.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is now playing in theaters nationwide. Check out the 2025 movie schedule for information on other flicks that are playing in cinemas now as well.

Of all of the upcoming music biopics in the works right now, Deliver Me from Nowhere is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated. Jeremy Allen White is portraying “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen in an exploration of the lead-up to and creation of 1982’s Nebraska, one of the most influential rock albums of all time. Critics have seen early showings ahead of its release on the 2025 movie calendar, and they’re saying White is “remarkable,” despite falling victim to clichés.

In addition to Jeremy Allen White, the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere stars Jeremy Strong and Paul Walter Hauser in what Mark Kennedy of the AP calls a “humbling portrait of an icon.” The movie dives deep into the musician’s turmoil, and White’s portrayal is “soulful.” The critic rates it 3.5 out of 4 stars, musing:

Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com also gives it a high 3 stars out of 4, writing that while director Scott Cooper’s film is full of clichés at the start, it soon becomes “a soulful and meditative character study” of a superstar who is flawed and damaged, but in a way that is relatable and inspires hope. In Daniels’ words:

Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence gives it a B, admitting to getting distracted over physical dissimilarities between The Boss and Jeremy Allen White. Miller also notes the music biopic clichés but says overall, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is a win. The critic writes:

Ross Bonaime of Collider gives the movie 6 out of 10, saying it was smart of Scott Cooper to focus on one essential period in Bruce Springsteen’s life, but the result is a movie that’s too rote to do the musician’s life justice. However, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong’s performances make up for its weaknesses to some degree, Bonaime says, writing:

Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm also rates it 6 out of 10, echoing the sentiment that The Bear star’s “incredible, haunted” portrayal of the music icon elevates an otherwise formulaic biopic. Evangelista says:

The critics seem to be in agreement that the performances of Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong, in particular, are worth the price of admission for a biopic that doesn’t quite avoid the clichés that so often accompany the genre. The movie has compiled a Rotten Tomatoes score of 62% from critics.

If you’re a fan of Nebraska or The Boss in general, you’ll likely want to give this one a go, which you can do now, as Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is in theaters now.

Scott Cooper’s Antlers is a movie with a good head on its metaphorical shoulders, and a healthy appreciation of the greatness that exists in horror filmmaking. It’s not overly invested in cheap scares, earning its bigger moments with atmosphere instead of quick reveals and score crescendos, and it’s smart enough to unlock the allegorical power of the storytelling style by rooting itself in real world monstrosity. It has engaging characters, brought to life by a talented cast, and when appropriate, it has a willingness to really let it rip with shocking gore and violence.

For all of these reasons, it’s a feature that genre fans are going to want to love – but unfortunately it’s an experience that isn’t totally able to hold together before the end credits roll. While the movie has a number of good ideas, it isn’t able to totally take advantage of them with proper coalescence by the third act, leaving you with a pervasive feeling of wishing that there was more to it. There’s still plenty to like, but it falls short of meeting its full potential.

Based on a script by Henry Chaisson, Nick Antosca and Scott Cooper, Antlers balances its Oregon-set story between two protagonists: a small, bullied 12-year-old boy named Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas); and his elementary school teacher, Julia (Keri Russell), who has recently returned to her hometown after years away and is temporarily living with her brother/the local sheriff, Paul (Jesse Plemons).

Having personally experienced abuse at the hands of her father when she was her students’ age, Julia takes a special interest in Lucas, and believes that he may be having serious troubles at home – her suspicions only growing greater as she discovers sincerely disturbing artwork in his desk, and learns that the child’s dad (Scott Haze) is a single parent with a criminal record. From an outsider’s perspective, all of the red flags are waving, and it has every appearance of being a terribly typical case.

These suspicions are warranted, but the case is anything but typical. As we follow Lucas home, we learn that he’s living a life of struggling self-sufficiency – his house a dark mess and each meal is catch-as-catch-can with no money and resources. But he’s not alone. Behind a heavily locked door is a mysterious, feral being that Lucas cares for by providing it animal carcasses that he finds on his way coming back from school. The boy hopes he can care for it and continue living his life, but horrors await as the secret is uncovered and the truth of the circumstance is revealed.

Antlers tries to use horror to say something about abuse, but the metaphor doesn’t totally track.

Above all else, the easiest thing to appreciate about Antlers is its allegorical intent and attempt at being more than just a cool monster movie. Some of the best examples in the genre root themselves in the terrors of non-supernatural reality, lending the material deeper resonance and verisimilitude, and there is an earnest attempt made by Scott Cooper to establish a link between the film’s fiend and the trauma of child abuse. The problem is that while this work stands up through the first two acts, it withers away in the third and leaves the experience feeling unsatisfying – with one’s initial admiration of the setup dissipating in light of the lacking resolution.

This is tricky material to discuss in what is intended as a spoiler-free review, but too significant not to acknowledge. Analyzing the beginning and middle of the film, one can draw one-to-one lines between real world horrors and the movie’s fantastical interpretations – especially because of the unfolding story about Julia’s experiences – but those connections fall away as Antlers ascends towards its climax, and really disappear altogether in the final moments in aim of including some form of “twist.”

The story in Antlers leans towards messy when the monster is unleashed… and not in a good way.

It’s not just the cracking metaphor that hurts the third act of Antlers, though; there is a point where the script seems to be unsure of how to proceed forward beyond just barreling towards a final confrontation. After spending an hour or so establishing characters and dynamics, and slowly ladling exposition that allows audiences to put pieces together, it just goes into plot mode and starts putting everything out on the table. You no longer have to question how Lucas ended up in his position, as there is a series of blunt flashbacks that spell everything out. And you no longer wonder about the supernatural side of the story, as Julie and Paul are able to get a full, no-doubts lowdown on the situation from the town’s Native American former sheriff (played by Graham Greene), who spells out the mythology for them.

The movie gives the impression that at some point in pre-production the writers were told to cut 20 minutes out of the script, forcing a lot of material to be condensed, and it’s ultimately very much to the final product’s detriment.

There is a great monster featured in Antlers, and it is savage.

Antlers may lose what makes it most interesting in its third act, but what it is supplemented is some solid straight monster-driven horror, and that material certainly is effective for what it is. Scott Cooper’s dark, somber aesthetic throughout the film effectively lends it a haunting, creepy atmosphere that sets the stage for all kinds of bloody mayhem, and he doesn’t pull punches when it comes time to shred human beings apart into jagged chunks of muscle and bone. For being Cooper’s first intentioned step into horror, the movie effectively demonstrates the director’s impressive genre instincts, and suggests it’s a world and tone in which he should continue to play around in the future.

Given its promise and everything it does right, Antlers winds up being a frustrating experience. It’s always exciting to see horror taken seriously and constructed with detailed purpose, but the movie’s aim falters at exactly the wrong time, and the issues badly undermine the best aspects. There is plenty to appreciate in its crafting, as it looks terrific, has bold style, and features quality performances, but it’s let down by its disappointing conclusion.

The line between life and art is often blurred, and when the art is dealing with dangerous subject matter based on real life people, that danger can jump out from the screen and into the real world. Such was the case for Scott Cooper's 2015 film Black Mass, which saw Johnny Depp playing notorious Boston mobster James 'Whitey' Bulger. The Black Mass director admits that he actually got death threats over the movie, as he explained.

Scott Cooper, who also directed Crazy Heart and last year's Hostiles, didn't want to get into specifics about what happened as a result of Black Mass and any kind of death threats he received. Yet it does seem clear that they happened and they affected him.

In his comments to Deadline, Scott Cooper seems to acknowledge the cost of making the kind of movie he wanted to make with Black Mass, where a desire for authenticity and realism means depicting real-life people and making artistic choices for the story. The consequences of doing that means that those real-life people, and in this case dangerous ones, might not like the way they are portrayed and they respond in scary ways.

Scott Cooper seems to have an understanding about the whole situation. Having went through it, he understands the hazards of telling these types of stories and acknowledges the caution one must take when doing so.

This just goes to show how fearless some filmmakers are to tackle these kinds of subjects. It's one thing to make a movie about Attila the Hun, who isn't around to be upset, but it's another entirely to make a movie about gangsters and murderers who are still very much alive.

In preparation for Black Mass, the filmmakers extensively researched their subject, but neither Scott Cooper, nor Johnny Depp ever met the man at the center of it all, Whitey Bulger. The mob boss and FBI informant denied their requests to talk.

Whitey Bulger will now never get to see his side of the story depicted on the big screen, as the infamous gangster met his end at the age of 89. Whitey Bulger was found beaten to death in his cell in a West Virginia prison on October 30.

While Whitey Bulger is gone, I expect this won't be the last time we see his story committed to film, as the runtime of Black Mass couldn't possibly cover all the intrigue, drama and carnage left by this legendary life of crime.

Scott Cooper is currently filming his next movie, the supernatural horror-thriller Antlers, starring Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons. That film does not yet have a release date, but it could presumably hit theaters in 2019. For all the movies that are scheduled to hit theaters next year, check out our 2019 release calendar.

Sienna Miller spent 2014 playing the wives of men who met tragic ends in American Sniper and Foxcatcher. While 2015 will see her star in more eclectic roles, she did film one part that was eerily similar to her efforts in the aforementioned flicks. In Black Mass, she was due to portray Catherine Greig, the girlfriend to famed Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, but it’s been confirmed that we won’t actually get to see her work, after director Scott Cooper revealed that she has been cut out of the film.

Speaking to The Boston Globe, Cooper admitted that it was a horrific decision to edit Catherine Greig out of Black Mass, insisting that Miller was "fantastic." However, ultimately a decision had to be made to suit the finished film, and in order to make Black Mass as impressive as possible, her scenes were cut. Cooper explained:

Cooper went on to add that Black Mass revolves more around Whitey Bulger’s life before he left Boston. After looking over the finished footage for Black Mass, Cooper decided that the gangster’s life on the run as a fugitive, which is when he met Catherine Greig, were "less dramatic," and, thus, would be left on the editing room floor.

Which is a shame for Miller, because she previously admitted that she went above and beyond to try and perfect her performance. She was actually spotted shooting scenes as Catherine Greig in Quincy last summer, but to perfect the strong Boston accent that was required, she had to work alongside a dialect coach.

In fact, Miller admitted that before then her attempts to replicate the regional accent "sounded stupid," and she found herself repeatedly watching movies like Good Will Hunting, Gone Baby Gone, and The Town to try and mimic the South Boston voice. Hopefully, we’ll get to see if she managed to succeed wth her efforts when Black Mass is eventually released on DVD, but as the anticipated gangster biopic hasn’t even hit cinemas yet, we probably shouldn’t jump too far ahead. Watch the trailer below:

There’s quite a lot of hype surrounding Black Mass. Johnny Depp stars as James "Whitey" Bulger, the boss of the Boston Irish mob, The Winter Hill Gang, who was also an informant for the FBI at the same time as running the gangster outfit. Depp’s performance looks scintillating in trailers, and he’s also joined by an all-star ensemble cast that includes Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Peter Sarsgaard, and Corey Stoll, to name but a few. But not Sienna Miller. Black Mass will be released on September 18, 2015.

In less than 24 hours, Johnny Depp went from "rumored to have met with Marvel about Doctor Strange" to "had an uneventful meeting with Marvel in the past," so we’re handling this new development with gloves. Black Mass, the crime drama about former FBI Most Wanted criminal Whitey Bulger, has officially found itself a director now that Out of the Furnace director Scott Cooper has entered negotiations to get this project up and running. What's more, Depp reportedly once again in talks to play the crime boss at the center of the story. It would be a great time for someone to discover Bulger used a pair of scissorhands on some of his victims.

Depp joined the film almost a full year ago when Barry Levinson was attached to helm, but the actor exited the indie production because Cross Creek Pictures and Exclusive Media thought it was ridiculous that the star wanted $23 million to play the part. Deadline doesn’t make it clear is possibly backing down in this matter, but it’s worth noting that Cooper will also be rewriting the screenplay that was originally penned by Mark Mallouk. Perhaps Cooper is budget-minded enough to keep his version costing $23 million less than the first.

The film will be based on the 2001 bestseller Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob from authors Dick Lehr and Gerald O’Neill. It will follow the duplicitous life Bulger led as both a murderous gang leader and a rival-crushing FBI informant, which led to 12 years on the run as one of the country’s most notorious fugitives. Joel Edgerton has already signed on to play John Connolly, the FBI agent and childhood friend of Bulger’s who convinced him to assist authorities in taking down certain members of the Italian mob. The project has been a long time coming, but it only makes sense for it to have been made in the years following the 81-year-old Bulger’s arrest and conviction in 2011. No twist endings on this one.

It’s only been about a month since Cooper’s slow burning crime drama Out of the Furnace hit theaters here in the States, but the movie didn't do so well when critics got to it. His previous film was the country music drama Crazy Heart, so it’s likely he’ll be more drawing from the inspirations that guided his second film while telling Bulger’s story.

Depp, meanwhile, is looking to have one of the most interesting years of his career, starring in a crime thriller (London Fields), a hard sci-fi drama (Transcendance), a fairytale fantasy (Into The Woods) and a mystery comedy (Mortdecai) - and most importantly none of them are sequels or umpteenth adaptations of previously existing material. We’ll have to wait and see if he makes this role official, or if he goes on the run for another few months.

UPDATE: Well, this is extremely odd. Despite Cooper's comments below, The Wrap is now reporting that the Out of The Furnace director will no longer helm the big screen adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand. The site says Cooper and Warner Bros. ran into "creative differences" that couldn't be resolved, and that the studio hasn't yet found a replacement.

The original story follows:

With trailers for the crime thriller Out of the Furnace gearing audiences up to see another side of Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper’s talent, it’s time to start the pre-anticipation festivities for Cooper’s next project, the ever-daunting big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s epic The Stand. While former attached filmmakers David Yates and Ben Affleck both had to pass on the film, Cooper sounds as if he’s in it for the long haul, and wants to tell the story his way, from a down-to-Earth point of view and as much on location as possible. Oh, and he wants to bring Christian Bale onto the project. No big deal, since they’ve become fast friends and all.

Talking with MTV, Cooper talks about the relationship that grew between him and Bale during the filming of Out of the Furnace. "Well, Christian’s a part of everything I’m writing, and I tend to share things with Christian in the infancy stage that I don’t share with other people," he said. "He’s become one of my, not just closest friends, but a great collaborator." He goes on to say he wouldn’t be surprised if the pair worked on many future films.

As evil incarnate Randall Flagg, the biggest King baddie of them all, Bale would be a convincingly menacing force that I could definitely get behind. He’d be fine as any of the other more prevalent characters, but Flagg needs Bale’s gravitas. Just get a director of photography to get in his way.

Cooper accepts the novel’s scope and themes have kept it out of the feature world before (though it was made into a 1994 ABC miniseries), and will adhere to the same grounded aesthetic that he brought to his earlier films. "That can be a very expensive endeavor," he said, "one that maybe doesn’t marry well with how a movie like that should be shot, just because of sheer expense."

Money be damned, however. For the multitude of locations where the novel is set, Cooper would rather film on location, rather than setting it all up on a soundstage. "It imbues the entire production with a sense of place and authenticity that I strive for," he explains. "I’m certain that whether consciously or subconsciously, it affects the actor’s performances, and the crew, quite frankly." I like that kind of dedication, especially for a project of this size. Let’s hope he sticks with it, so that Captain Trips can infect us all in the near future.

Take a listen to the entire interview below.

Braddock, Pennsylvania is a city named for a loser. A plaque on the east side of North Braddock, located 8 miles downriver from Pittsburgh, commemorates Braddock's Defeat, a turning point in the 1755 French and Indian War. Named for a defeated British general in a war now rarely remembered, Braddock, Pennsylvania somehow still remains, a cluster of half-empty storefronts and homes perched on a steep slope above the Monogahela River, looming over a massive blast furnace that sits quiet, hulking and as defeated as Braddock himself.

Just around the corner from that plaque and down by the furnace too, Hollywood has improbably come to town. Director Scott Cooper first heard of Braddock while on tour promoting his debut feature Crazy Heart-- the town's mayor John Fetterman has done extensive media appearances to bring the town's plight to national attention, which means Braddock was not like most depressed former industrial towns even before Cooper came calling. A thriving part of the steel industry until the Carrie Furnace shut down in 1982, Braddock now stands alongside Detroit and Gary, Indiana and any number of other Rust Belt towns as a symbol of America's lost industrial might. We've seen the pictures of rusted-out factories and crumbling towns; what Cooper wanted to bring to Braddock was a story, about what happens when the world collapses around you but also how a community moves on together. That fact that this story includes movie stars-- Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard and Forest Whitaker-- means that, when Out of the Furnace opens on December 6, Braddock will emerge into its biggest spotlight yet.

On an overcast but gloomily beautiful day in May of last year, Cooper did something maybe even more uncommon than dragging a full Hollywood production to a ruined steel town-- he invited a group of journalists to a set of a movie that doesn't include explosions, superheroes or giant set-pieces of a any kind. That day production was set up in Hidy's Cafe, a bar and restaurant in an anonymous brick building that sidles up to the underside of the Rankin Bridge. The bar had been renamed The Cellar Door for the shoot but barely transformed, with Hidy's handwritten signs all over, warning patrons not to sell drugs inside and offering the salmon burger (actually ordered by Woody Harrelson's character in the film).

The production team added Christmas lights but little else, and moved into the bar's back office to shoot that day's scene between Willem Dafoe and Casey Affleck. As the owner of The Cellar Door with significant ties to local criminals, Dafoe's character John Petty is helping Affleck's, Rodney Baze, get into a local bare-knuckle boxing match. In the scene Affleck pleads and pleads, Dafoe refuses but eventually gives in, making the phone call as Affleck shadow-boxes in the corner.

BR> But wait-- I wasn't supposed to tell you about the bare-knuckle part. When we catch up with Cooper later that afternoon and mention the bruises applied Affleck's face and knuckles, then ask about the bare-knuckle fighting, Cooper asks "How did you know about that?" Cooper seemed to delight in our complete confusing about the plot when we arrived on set, given that when the project was first announced it was called an adaptation of Brad Inglesby's script The Low Dweller, about "a man recently released from prison forced back into criminal life to settle an old score." There are more elements of that story in Out of the Furnace than Cooper might have wanted to reveal at the time-- he and Ingelsby are credited as the co-writers of the final script-- but Cooper was committed to maintaining a level of secrecy usually more familiar with horror films or Christopher Nolan projects. Now that a trailer is out there, both the bare-knuckle boxing and the revenge plot are out in the open-- so enjoy knowing more than I did on set by watching the latest below:

"I was told not to tell you," says Willem Dafoe when we ask him, standing in a parking lot around the corner from Hidy's, if he has any scenes outside that cinderblock back office. As a character Dafoe describes as "a bookie with a heart of gold," Dafoe is instrumental in getting Affleck's character Rodney into those brutal underground fights (you can see them filming one of them, inside the Carrie Furnace, above). But it's more complicated than just a man preying on a local veteran hard-up for cash:

The importance of family and community runs as a strong undercurrent in Out of the Furnace, which more than any saga of revenge of violence is a story of what happens when a town is abandoned by economic forces utterly beyond its control. And for Rodney, a veteran of Iraq who is stop-lossed and sent on another tour of duty as the film begins, he's been abandoned by the military he serves as well. Here's how Affleck explains the work he underwent to understand the character:

Bale, who was filming but not doing interviews that day, underwent his own kind of training, learning to work in the nearby steel mill that still functioned, handling blazing-hot materials and working in an environment that, as mentioned briefly in the film, is believed by many to cause cancer. Here's Cooper on the training that Bale underwent to look convincing in what wound up being brief steel mill scenes:

Our day in Braddock ended with a visit to the place to looms large both in a visit to the town and in Out of the Furnace: the Carrie Furnace. In the movie you see Rodney in a bitter fight inside the furnace, and the film's climax leads there as well, with the massive steel structures looking like a twisted Emerald City in the distance. We were lead through Carrie by Ron of Rivers of Steel, an organization committed to the preserving the steel history of the area. The Carrie Furnace is the only pre-World War II blast furnace to be preserved in non-operational state, and Rivers of Steel provides tours of the site, while working to include it as part of a proposed national park. It's an astonishing place, a tribute to human ingenuity both past and present-- in the midst of those ruined steel structures, there's also a sculpture by a local artist clearly glad for the space. You can see my pictures from inside the Carrie Furnace in the gallery below, and look for the location-- you can't miss it-- in Out of the Furnace on December 6.

Among fall movies there's the ones aiming for Oscars, the ones aiming for big audiences, and then every once in a while some that fall in the middle. We had pegged Out of the Furnace as pure prestige, coming from the writer and director of Crazy Heart and starring a laundry list of Oscar nominees and winners, from Christian Bale to Forest Whitaker. But this new trailer, which premiered at Apple and can be watched there in HD, seems to show off a much more entertaining side than we imagined. It's got economic distress and PTSD, sure, but there's also a ton of guns and underground boxing, and Woody Harrelson in super-villainous mode. Maybe this will be a more fun sit than we thought.

Writer-director Scott Cooper made his directorial debut with Crazy Heart after a career in acting, and its commitment to authentic run-down country music life-- not to mention its Oscar-winning original song "The Weary Kind"-- earned it far more attention than you might expect for a small indie. Cooper's ambitions are obviously bigger with Out of the Furnace, tackling a larger cast and a much broader range of topics. From this trailer it's a little hard to see how it will all tie together-- is a single movie really capable of telling stories about PTSD and economic hardship and underground fighting? But the trailer also seems to be actively aiming to keep the plot details at bay, using a cover of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" to keep all but the most crucial dialogue out of it.

And maybe the best evidence of Cooper's talent, and the kind of movie he's pulled together, is the offers that have come his way since he started making it. He's reteaming with Out of the Furnace producer Leonardo DiCaprio for the 1930s-set crime thriller The Road Home, he's attached to a remake of the French film 36th Precinct, and biggest of all, he's stepped in to replace Ben Affleck as director of The Stand, a new adaptation of Stephen King's massive book. It's hard to imagine much that's more different from Crazy Heart, but Out of the Furnace seems poised to show a whole new dimension of Cooper's talents. Hollywood clearly believes in him already-- will this convince you to do the same?

We’re all still feeling shockwaves on the news that Ben Affleck will play Batman in the Man of Steel follow-up Batman Vs. Superman. But still it’s business as usual in Hollywood, and as Affleck’s committed to one film, another is falling to the wayside. Deadline reports the newly minted Dark Knight is dropping out of adapting Stephen King’s The Stand, and Crazy Heart helmer Scott Cooper is stepping in to take his place. This could prove a career-defining moment for the emerging director, as Warner Bros and CBS Films are grooming the pic to be a tent pole release that could be the start of a trilogy franchise. This plan makes considerable sense since the last adaptation of The Stand was a 1994 mini-series that clocked in at 366 minutes.

The 1978 novel is set in a world that has been ravaged by a virus that killed most of the population of the planet. Those that survive this apocalyptic plague begin having visions that drive them to communities established in Nevada and Colorado. But as these groups attempt to rebuild a functioning society, a battle of good versus evil builds.

Warner Bros and CBS Films first announced plans to adapt the lengthy novel into a film back in early 2011. By the following summer, the studios were searching for the right helmer for this property, and initially eyed Harry Potter’s David Yates, who seemed an especially inspired pick as he’s shown a definite skill with building arcs over multiple pictures. Shortly thereafter, Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves was in talks to draft the screenplay. But by the fall both Yates and Kloves were out of the picture, and Affleck was being handed the gigs of both writer and director. (Yates later said he left the project because he felt the source material lacked the level of spectacle needed to make a successful blockbuster.)

For his part, Affleck seemed a solid choice for The Stand’s writer-director, having previously adapted two crime novels, Dennis Lehane’s Gone Baby Gone and Chuck Hogan’s Prince of Thieves, into two heralded dramas, Gone Baby Gone, and The Town. But it soon appeared Affleck was encountering obstacles in the screenwriting process, as Warner Brothers hired David Kajganich (Blood Creek, The Invasion) to come on board as a writer. Just last fall, Affleck confirmed he’d hit a wall on the project’s development, then no updates followed until today’s, where Cooper’s involvement was revealed.

Cooper will reportedly be re-writing the script, presumably the one Affleck and Kajganich got going. For now it’s unknown when The Stand might roll into production, but in the meantime, you can look out for Cooper’s Crazy Heart follow-up Out of The Furnace. The drama, which stars Christian Bale, Casey Affleck and Zoe Saldana, is set to hit theaters on December 6th.

Cinema has often dipped into the story pool of 1930s crime dramas, which present a simpler time in America’s history. For people making the movies, I mean, not for the people that actually lived through the Depression and subsequent road to war. Without cell phones, DNA analysis, fluorescent bulbs, or terrorists to worry about, movie cops get to be badasses, noir-ish shadows are everywhere, and everything is personal.

Michael Armour’s upcoming novel The Road Home looks like it will establish that same gritty tone, and Deadline reports Warner Bros. has already snatched up the rights for it, with Appian Way, the production company run by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran, set to produce. Scott Cooper, who wrote and directed 2009’s countrified Crazy Heart, will also be writing and directing this film. And though DiCaprio is only listed as a producer for now, there’s no telling how attached he’ll get as the project moves forward.

In The Road Home, main character Creek is just your average war veteran-turned-rancher in Depression Era California. He’s asked to privately look into a brutal local murder that the police have covered up, and Creek finds himself way over his head as he uncovers a small town conspiracy. Sounds like it’s got a lot of nail-biting potential.

This will be the second collaboration between DiCaprio and Cooper, who teamed up for Cooper’s upcoming crime thriller Out of the Furnace, which DiCaprio was originally supposed to star in before the role was filled by Christian Bale. But while Cooper was busy with that, DiCaprio was filming Martin Scorcese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, which will be out later this year.

Finally reprieved from its grueling sentence in developmental hell, the gritty drama Out of the Furnace has at last secured its cast. Relativity Media is proud to announce that Christian Bale, who has been attached to the project since last August, has finally signed on the dotted line, along with Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Shepard, to front the film that will serve as writer-director Scott Cooper's follow-up to his Oscar-winning directorial debut, Crazy Heart.

Originally titled The Low Dweller and penned by insurance salesman-turned-screenwriter Brad Ingelsby, Out of the Furnace has since been polished by Cooper, who showed his capability to craft compelling characters with Crazy Heart. Here, Bale will star as Russell Baze, a tough customer who tries to forge a path for himself and his younger brother Rodney (Affleck) in the poverty-stricken Rust Belt. The two aspire for better lives, but when a cruel twist of fate lands Baze behind bars, his little brother falls in with a dangerous crowd and suffers a terrible fate. Four years later, when Baze is finally released from prison, he must choose between a fresh start or a more treacherous path, seeking justice for his wronged brother. Saldana will play Bale's love interest, Lena Warren, while Shepard is slated to portray the brothers' uncle, Red.

As an Oscar-winner who is poised to break box office records once more with The Dark Knight Rises, Bale has his pick of projects so his inclusion here bodes well for Out of the Furnace on many levels. Add to that Affleck and Shepard, who are both Oscar nominees—for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Right Stuff, respectively—and you've got a solid trio of acclaimed actors at the film's core. As for Saldana, it'll be intriguing to the stunning actress in something outside the genre features in which she's best known.

Relativity's Co-President, Tucker Tooley, is certainly enthusiastic about the cast, declaring:

Beyond star power, Out of the Furnace also has some incredible producers on board. Leonardo DiCaprio, who was once rumored to being grooming the picture as a vehicle for himself, is producing along with Jennifer Killoran (The Ides of March), Ridley Scott (The Grey), Tony Scott (Man on Fire), Michael Costigan (American Gangster) and Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter). With a line-up like this you can bet Relativity's hoping Out of the Furnace will draw major box office and some serious acclaim.

Curiously, there's no word on the film's genre outside of "drama," yet Out of the Furnace's story, themes, director and some of its cast indicate that this feature will be a Western. That's not to say there will necessarily be horses and cowboy hats, but Relativity has pulled together a team that could craft the kind of neo-western for which the Coen Bros. have twice gotten Oscar acclaim (No Country for Old Men and True Grit). Perhaps the producers are avoiding the label of "Western" at present so as not to pigeonhole the production too soon, but personally this sounds like a premise worthy of a Western incarnation with a cast that's perfectly suited to the task.

Production on Out of the Furnace will begin later this month in Braddock, Pennsylvania.

Director Scott Cooper's Out of the Furnace doesn't sound like the most original project we've ever heard of. The film follows an ex-con who, upon being released from prison, goes on a mission for revenge, hunting down the man that killed his younger brother. For example, the movie sounds incredibly similar to Faster, the 2010 action film starring Dwayne Johnson (which wasn't bad, but certainly not something to try and imitate less than two years later). Fortunately, it looks like Cooper is assembling talent that could serve as a solid distraction from the familiar plot.

Zoe Saldana, who is currently in the midst of production on J.J. Abrams' Star Trek sequel, is now in talks to potentially join Christian Bale (who entered discussions for the movie two weeks ago) in Out of the Furnace. But Saldana and Bale aren't the only two actors expressing interest in the movie, as there are some other big names circling the project as well, according to Variety. As previously reported, both Robert Duvall and Viggo Mortensen are interested in taking parts in the project, as the protagonist's uncle and the central villain, respectively. There has also been talk that Casey Affleck, Garrett Hedlund, Taylor Kitsch and Channing Tatum are being looked at to play the younger brother. Should she sign on, Saldana will play Bale's ex-wife, who has moved on since her husband went to prison and has married the local sheriff. No actors are yet locked in for the project, which actually doesn't have the green light yet.

Described as a "gritty throwback to 70's movies", the project is based on a script originally called The Low Dweller, written by Brad Ingelsby. Should it get the go-ahead, production is planned to start in late spring.

There was a weird period about a month ago when the fate of Tales from the Gangster Squad, a period action film about the Los Angeles police department, was wrapped up in that of Wolverine 2, a superhero sequel. The connection was Darren Aronofsky, who was considering directing both of them but eventually went with Wolvy, leaving room for a rumored shortlist of alternates to take his place.

No director has yet been picked, but The Los Angeles Times has an update on the list of possibilities. Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer, of all people, tops the list, having just wrapped the comedy 30 Minutes or Less and still hot after Zombieland (remember when he was up for the Mission: Impossible 4 job?) If Fleischer doesn't pan out, though, they're also considering Brazilian filmmaker Jose Padilha, whose Elite Squad won major international attention, and Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper, who was on that early shortlist we mentioned before.

It's a wildly diverse list of possibilities, to the point that it seems Warner Bros. is willing to go in some really interesting directions with the material, which producer Dan Lin describes as "The Untouchables on the streets of L.A." Making an unconventional choice of director would be a good way to ensure that this fascinating material doesn't turn utterly generic on the screen--now it's just a matter of deciding which odd choice can turn out to be the right one.

Scott Cooper kind of strikes you as an actor when you first meet him. Young and well-groomed and impeccably dressed, with a soft speaking voice and an uncanny ability to use your name in a sentence, you can tell he's a guy used to charming people for a living. But lately he's been using those charms for something a lot more difficult than wooing a casting agent-- he had to convince financiers, studios and the one, the only Jeff Bridges that he could handle a directing job, and endure a series of distribution disasters in order to get his movie, Crazy Heart, to the screen.

Once doomed to a fate on the DVD shelves when Paramount Vantage shut down, Crazy Heart is now a serious entry in the fall awards race, with Bridges' performance as alcoholic country singer Bad Blake a near-lock for the Best Actor Oscar. Cooper, who grew up listening to country music and initially wanted to make a Merle Haggard biopic, said that Bridges was his only choice for the role. Check out my interview with him below, in which he talks about his relationship to country music, why Bridges was the only guy for the role, and what all the Oscar buzz means to him as a first-time director. Crazy Heart is open in limited release right now.