After nearly five years in development, the film adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel Wilson may finally be under way. Woody Harrelson has signed on to play the title character, a grouchy, pretentious man who constantly spouts his negative opinions of others, somehow without the benefit of a keyboard or Internet connection. Harrelson will be joined for the film by Laura Dern, flexing her old Enlightened muscles as Wilson’s estranged ex-wife, a recovering addict. The film’s plot kicks off when the grumbling misanthrope reconnects with Dern’s character, learns he has a daughter he’d never learned about, and tries to force the trio into some semblance of a family.
Despite a long association with the project, Nebraska director Alexander Payne is no longer attached to the film, having dropped out at some point back in 2014. Instead, Wilson will be directed by Craig Johnson, whose 2014 film The Skeleton Twins had a similar focus on sardonic, self-destructive family units.
Sadly, there’s no sign that one of Clowes’ most celebrated Hollywood admirers will also be joining in on Wilson, as avowed fan Shia LeBeouf is no longer famous, and thus cannot be cast in films. (This joke has been repurposed from an earlier Newswire article as part of an artistic statement on the nature of creativity.)