Peter Dinklage will lead violent western The Thicket

Everyone’s favorite Lannister, Peter Dinklage, is set to star in an adaptation of Joe Anderson’s novel “The Thicket”. The premise sounds like a lot of fun and in a time when we need some more great westerns, I can only welcome this project. With the great Dinklage involved, I would hope this goes from development status to in-production as soon as possible. The movie will be produced by Gianni Nunnari (SEVEN, THE DEPARTED) and there’s no word on a director yet.

Here’s the official synopsis:

THE THICKET has been hailed as one of the best American crime novels to emerge in recent years.  Set in tough, turbulent and feral East Texas in the early 20th century, this dark thriller follows the story of Jack, an innocent young man, who goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister after she has been kidnapped by a violent killer, Cut Throat Bill, and his gang. Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Shorty (Dinklage), a grave-digging alcoholic son of an ex-slave, and a street-smart prostitute. Together they track the girl into the deadly no-man’s land known as The Big Thicket – a place where blood and chaos reign.

It sounds like Dinklage’s character Shorty sounds like he might share a lot of commonality with his Game of Thrones character Tyrion Lannister. He would have to be “crafty” to not only survive in the west but as a bounty hunter no less. Dinklage said the project is “completely original” adding “the characters and the world they inhabit jumped from the pages for me in such a cinematic way.” Let's hope he’s right.