New details and image from Alexander Payne’s Nebraska with Bruce Dern and Will Forte

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Writer/Director Alexander Payne is one of the most original filmmakers working today who is rarely recognized for it. He's a bit under the radar, due largely to the fact that his films usually start off as non-commercial fare, like an odd indie pic, but then suddenly pick up steam when said films are nominated for a boatload of awards. Most recently, Payne took home a Best Screenplay Oscar for THE DESCENDENTS, which joins his shelf with 2004's SIDEWAYS. Now, Payne is prepping his next film, NEBRASKA, starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte, which chronicles a father-son road trip that is sure to be chock full of his usual colorful and odd characters that always seem to feel like someone you know.

"I had been sitting on this Nebraska script even when I did Sideways," he says. "But I didn't want to go back to a road-trip movie right after that. I was really tired of shooting people in cars. I'm serious. It's a drag. But after Descendants, I came back to this story."

Payne, who also wrote and directed the excellent ELECTION and hilariously awesome ABOUT SCHMIDT with Jack Nicholson, shot NEBRASKA in black and white, but in all the actual locations that the film takes place (Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota).

"It's shot literally where everything would happen. It's always (important) in my films to have an accurate sense of place. Films, like wars, require a lot of logistical planning. The trip was planned very well."

The casting of Forte, who is perhaps best known for his stints on SNL (particularly as the titular MACGRUBER), may seem like an odd choice, but the actor auditioned for the role and won Payne over.

"Never in a million years would I have thought of him. But I believed him in his audition. And there's an appealing familiarity about him. It's as though you went to high school with him."

Forte is excited about playing it straight for once and seemed just as excited to spend time with a seasoned actor like Dern on set and off.

"It was fun hanging out. He tells the best stories. I could, and often did, listen to him for hours. It was priceless."

I think NEBRASKA will probablly fly under the radar just the same as all of Payne's films, but will demand to be noticed once nominations start rolling in around awards season. I'm a big fan of his work and always look forward to what he has to offer as he consistently brings something new and original to the table. You may not know what you're going to get, but you know it's going to be something great.

NEBRASKA is set for release on November 22, 2013.