David Lynch has joined the cast of Steven Spielberg's upcoming film The Fabelmans. However, details regarding the acclaimed 76-year-old director's new acting role are being kept under wraps.
The forthcoming project will mark the first collaboration between Lynch and Spielberg, two of the most renowned figures in the filmmaking industry who emerged in the 1970s. Over the course of his prolific career, Lynch has accumulated a body of work that includes surreal and celebrated classics such as Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, and The Elephant Man —which was released in 1980 and received eight Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Director.
Although plot details regarding The Fabelmans remain unclear, the film is reportedly a semi-autobiographical drama that draws inspiration from Spielberg's childhood in Arizona. Variety reports Lynch joins a star-studded cast that features Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as characters drawn from the Jaws director's parents, as well as Seth Rogen in a role inspired by his uncle. Newcomer Gabriel LaBelle is said to portray Sammy, an aspiring filmmaker based on Spielberg himself, while Julia Butters joins as his sister, Anne. Rounding out the cast are Judd Hirsch, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Robin Bartlett, Jeannie Berlin, Chloe East, Isabelle Kusman, and Jonathan Hadary.
Spielberg penned the script alongside frequent collaborator Tony Kushner, who previously worked with the director on 2005's Munich, 2012's Lincoln, and, most recently, West Side Story, an acclaimed reimagining of the 1961 classic. The pair will also serve as producers alongside Kristie Macosko Krieger. The Fabelmans is currently in post-production, with a release date set around Thanksgiving.
While Lynch is primarily known as a filmmaker, he's no stranger to acting. He played FBI agent and all-around oddball Gordon Cole in Twin Peaks and made guest appearances in TV shows like Louie and The Cleveland Show. Most recently, Lynch had a supporting role in 2017's Lucky, a film starring indie legend Harry Dean Stanton on his final role before his death later that year.
Lynch is also one of the co-creators of Twin Peaks alongside Mark Frost. Back in the 90s, he directed six episodes of the crime thriller's original two-season run, as well as the 1992 film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and years later returned to the small screen with a celebrated 18-episode Twin Peaks sequel in 2017. Besides acting and directing, Lynch charmed the Internet in 2020 with daily weather reports from his house in Los Angeles.
The Fabelmans is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 23, 2022.
Source: Variety