Country music and hard-luck stories go together like peanut butter and jelly, which is why Hollywood loves to tell them so much. Biopics on country musicians are always a favorite, and it seems they've become even more popular lately with films like Crazy Heart, Country Strong, Walk the Line, and the upcoming I Saw the Light. But now one that Josh Brolin has quietly been developing for some time is finally starting to come together, and it will pair the actor with Jessica Chastain.
Brolin and Chastain are set to play country music legends George Jones and his wife Tammy Wynette in a biopic titled No Show Jones. The film was first announced in May of last year with Brolin then eyeing a producer role, but he appeared on Conan recently to confirm he'll be in front of the camera, as well, joined by Chastain. He said...
“I have a bit of a past and when they were trying to figure out who might be best able to best play George Jones, they thought, ‘What about Brolin? Who’s been to jail in the last 10 years? Let’s pick Brolin! … I’m gonna do that with Jessica Chastain, who is gonna play Tammy Wynette. She’s amazing… It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
Nicknamed "The Possum" because of his quirky facial features (he also performed in a duck voice for awhile), Jones had a number of top country hits, beginning with 1959's "White Lightning". Jones lived a fast, rich life in which he abused drugs and alcohol, leading to a tumultuous marriage (his third) with Wynette. Despite the turmoil, they were seen as country music's top duo and continued to perform together after their divorce in 1976.
There doesn't seem to be anything concrete on the project yet, so maybe Brolin is still putting everything together. But if he's got Chastain in tow, and a story as exciting as Jones and Wynette's, then things are looking pretty good.
