Michael Shannon has joined the cast of director Jeff Nichols’ new film “Mud”, marking his third collaboration with the rising director after “Take Shelter” and 2007’s “Shotgun Stories”. Also hopping aboard the coming-of-age drama are Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson, Ray McKinnon, Joe Don Baker and Paul Sparks.
Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey and Tye Sheridan (“The Tree of Life”) were previously announced for the film, about two teenage boys who discover a mysterious fugitive named Mud (McConaughey) hiding out on an island in Mississippi. After the man spins a tale about a lost love named Juniper (Witherspoon), the boys decide to help him evade capture by a group of hunters.
Shannon is playing the uncle of one of the boys, while Paulson and McKinnon will play the parents of the other. Meanwhile, Shepard is set to star as recluse Tom Blankenship, and Baker and Sparks are two of the hunters on Mud’s tail.
Production on the film began today in Arkansas.
It’s no wonder Shannon is teaming up with Nichols again, considering the boatload of Oscar buzz he’s now receiving for his critically-acclaimed performance in “Take Shelter”, which premiered in January at Sundance. The actor was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actor for “Revolutionary Road”.
Shannon was recently cast as arch-villain General Zod in Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot “Man of Steel”. He can currently be seen in “Machine Gun Preacher” opposite Gerard Butler.