Five More Join Matt Damon and John Krasinski for Gus Van Sant

Drama begins principal photography.

‘Fargo’ star Frances McDormand, Hal Holbrook (‘Into The Wild’), Rosemarie DeWitt (‘Neighbourhood Watch’), Scoot McNairy (‘Argo’), and Titus Welliver (‘Lost’) have joined Matt Damon and John Krasinski for the Gus Van Sant-directed drama ‘Promised Land.’

In the film Damon plays Steve Butler, a corporate salesman who arrives in a rural town with his sales partner, Sue Thomason (McDormand). With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (Krasinski) who counters Steve both personally and professionally.

Filming on the contemporary drama kicks off this week with Van Sant directing from a screenplay penned by Damon and Krasinski, based on an idea by Dave Eggers (‘Where The Wild Things Are,’ ‘Away We Go’).