Scripted by Joel and Ethan Coen, directed by George Clooney, and starring Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac, SUBURBICON has all the makings of something dark, comedic, and quirky. We don't know too much about SUBURBICON just yet, other than it will apparently take place in a quiet family neighborhood which is rattled by a suspicious home invasion.The upcoming crime/comedy will be making its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, but Paramount Pictures has released two images from SUBURBICON which offer up our first look at the film, both of which feature Matt Damon with just the slightest amount of grump on his face.
While speaking with Yahoo Movies, George Clooney revealed that SUBURBICON was originally a much different movie when the Coen brothers wrote it over thirty years ago. "This was a film they [the Coens] kept trying to get made for quite a few years," Clooney said. "I was offered to play the role that Oscar is playing back in 2001. There are some similar themes to Fargo and Burn After Reading. Hapless characters making really bad decisions. The original script took place in the 1980s and didn’t have the Mayer family as neighbors so it was more of a comedy-thriller. We [Clooney and producing partner Grant Heslov] thought we’d like to make something a little less funny and a lot angrier. It seems like a good time for a film that feels angry." Although Clooney won't be appearing in SUBURBICON, his time working with the Coen Brothers has certainly given him a healthy education.
I’ve learned a lot from working with the boys. They only shoot what the need. They’re really efficient. They storyboard all of their shots. They just do takes until they get what they need and then move on. I try to do all of those things.
The official synopsis for SUBURBICON was also unveiled, and unfortunately it doesn't reveal all that much. This is Suburbicon.
Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns…the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence. This is a tale of very flawed people making very bad choices. This is Suburbicon.
SUBURBICON is set for a October 27, 2017 release.