Indie biopic lands new lead.
Variety is reporting that John Hawkes (‘The Sessions,’ ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene,’ ‘Winter’s Bone’) is set to replace Mark Ruffalo (‘Avengers Assemble’) as jazz pianist Joe Albany in the biopic ‘Low Down.’
Set in the Los Angeles jazz scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s, ‘Low Down’ explores the father-daughter relationship between Albany and his 11-year-old daughter, Amy. Told from Amy’s point of view, the story follows her unconventional childhood with a talented but strung-out father in the shadowy world of cocktail bars and transient hotels. Amy co-wrote the screenplay with screenwriter Topper Lilien, based on her memoir ‘Low Down: Junk, Jazz, and Other Fairy Tales From Childhood.’
Ruffalo, who was locked in to play the legendary jazz pianist, was forced to exit the Jeff Preiss-directed indie when the production was pushed back, causing scheduling issues.
‘Low Down’ is now scheduled to begin filming in March 2013 with Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Productions producing with Mindy Goldberg of Epoch Films, while Amy Albany will co-produce.