The Thicket

The Thicket is an upcoming Western film directed by Elliott Lester and written by Cristopher Kelley. It is a film adaptation of the 2013 novel of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale. It stars Peter Dinklage (also producer), Juliette Lewis, Esmé Creed-Miles and Levon Hawke. Premise 1800s west. In a deadly no-man's land known as 'The Big Thicket' a ruthless killer by the name of Cut Throat Bill is tracked down by a young man, Jack, who is aiming to rescue his sister Lula after she is kidnapped by Bill. Jack is joined by bounty hunter Reginald Jones, grave-digging alcoholic son of a slave Eustace, and savvy prostitute Jimmie Sue. Together, the group stand off against Bill and her gang. Cast Peter Dinklage as Reginald "Shorty" Jones Juliette Lewis as Cut Throat Bill Esmé Creed-Miles as Lula Levon Hawke as Jack Leslie Grace as Jimmie Sue Gbenga Akinnagbe as Eustace Macon Blair James Hetfield Ned Dennehy Andrew Schulz Arliss Howard Production Peter Dinklage has been attached to the project for many years, being linked with the project in 2014 along with producer Gianni Nunnari. The film has been described as a "passion project" for him. The film began pre-production in February 2020 with Dinklage, Noomi Rapace and Charlie Plummer joining the cast, but was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2023, Juliette Lewis joined the cast to replace Rapace. James Hetfield was confirmed as amongst the cast.