It appears thatJohn Turturro’s long-held wish for aBig Lebowskispinoff has come true. The actor has been talking for years about his desire to see the story of Jesus Quintana continued in some form or another, but the film’s writers/directors,JoelandEthan Coen, have not been secretive in their disinterest in making such a project. However, after all this time it appears that Turturro may have simply taken things into his own hands, as word comes that he’s actually filming aBig Lebowskispinoffright now.
Turturro is currently in production onGoing Places, which is a remake of the 1974 French sex farceLes Valseuses. However, the folks atBirth.Movies.Deathhave learned that the film is actually aBig Lebowskispinoff centered around Jesus Quintana, with Turturro handling script duties and reprising the role with a cast that also includesBobby Cannavale,Audrey Tautou, andSusan Sarandon. So, yeah, that’s kind of big news.
The plot of the film, per BMD, is as follows: “Two petty thieves, Turturro’s Jesus and Cannavale’s Petey, compete to give a woman (Tautou) her first orgasm after she’s roped into their hijinks.” Sarandon reportedly plays a criminal just released from a long stint in prison who also ends up as part of this troupe.
The Coen Brothers don’t appear to be creatively involved whatsoever, so it certainly appears that Turturro simply just opted to make this film himself. Whether he got their blessing is unclear, but he’s been close with the brothers for years and they didn’t seem to have a big problem withFargobeing turned into a TV series, so one imagines they’re not exactly bent out of shape by this news.
Going Placescurrently has no distributor, but once word is out that this is aBig Lebowskimovie, interest will no doubt spike. Turturro is currently doing swell work on the HBO limited seriesThe Night Ofin a dramatic turn, but he’s been directing features since the early 90s and most recently directedWoody Allenin 2013’sFading Gigolo, so it’s not as if he’s cutting his teeth on a highly anticipatedLebowskimovie.
While the Coen Brothers seem to kind of shrug offThe Big Lebowskias a silly comedy, the cult around the film is massive, and The Dude himselfJeff Bridgesrecently said he’d be down for a properLebowskisequelfocusing on the Little Lebowski he made withJulianne Moore’s Maude. In the same interview, he voiced his support for the JesusLebowskispinoff, so imagine his surprise when he finds out it’s already in the process of being made.
