Shia LaBeouf’s ‘Charlie Countryman’ Aiming For Sundance Or Berlin Premiere; Joachim Trier’s ‘Louder Than Bombs’ Starts Casting

Since leaving his post as the leading man in Michael Bay's 'Transformers' trilogy, Shia LaBeouf has seemingly turned his back on blockbusters and made some admirable choices to work with names like Oliver Stone, John Hillcoat and Robert Redford with a teaming with the Danish king of controversy Lars von Trier also in the works. Another project that the actor has recently finished shooting is "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman," the feature debut of commerical director Fredrik Bond.

Lensed in Romania where "Cold Mountain" shot nearly a decade ago, the film is now reportedly eyeing a festival premiere early next year, with producers Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger telling ThompsonOnHollywood that Sundance and Berlin are being targeted. The film tells the story of a man who gets mixed up with a young woman (Evan Rachel Wood) and vows to free her from the clutches of a violent crime boss (Mads Mikkelsen) who has a hold on her. Aubrey Plaza, 'Harry Potter' star Rupert Grint and Til Schweiger ("Inglourious Basterds") are all co-starring in the film as well.

The film sounds promising enough with a mix of young talent and established Euro stars, with producer Yerxa adding that placing them all in the hands of first-time feature director Bond is no issue as he "has a great body of commercial work [that's] visually fresh. And he's funny as hell."  

Another project the duo are working on is Norwegian helmer Joachim Trier's English-language debut, "Louder Than Bombs," which has been described as a family drama with a "Rashomon"-style plot conceit, telling "how events differ from the perspective of four family members." With funding getting firmed up, casting is now beginning on the project, which is eyeing a fall start later this year.

"We were conscious as we were piecing the cast together what it would mean for the budget, it's a tricky dance," Berger reveals. "Auteur directors are never casting toward the marketplace, it's about finding that sweet spot where artistically you are going after actors exciting to the director and at the same time you are financially allowed to make the movie you want and need to make." 

We're eager to check out both films, and hopefully more news on "Louder Than Bombs" is just around the corner.