We missed this a couple of days ago when THR broke it, but now Variety has brought it to our attention, so we thought we’d better report it! Tony Kaye (American History X) has been quietly setting up Detachment, and is now shooting the movie, with a pretty decent cast.
Adrien Brody, William Petersen, Lucy Liu, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston, James Caan and Marcia Gay Harden will all star in the film, in which Brody plays a normally detached substitute teacher who finds himself getting ever more invested in the pupils at a troubled school, growing close to a homesless teen working as a prostitute.
William Petersen plays a Vietnam vet. who teaches history, but gets in trouble when, in a bid to teach tolerance, he shows a gay film in class. Hendricks will play a teacher who urges Brody to commit to teaching full-time and might be a romantic interest. Liu will play a school psychologist who grows frustrated with her students’ incompetence.
Hopefully this film will have a smooth ride to the screen. Following stormy scenes during post-production on American History X (which involved Tony Kaye trying to take his name off the credits, citing studio interference), the director found himself a bit of a pariah in tinsel town, with few wanting to touch him. Eventually he managed to shoot Black Water Transit, but for the last year that’s been trapped in financial limbo, and can’t be released until that’s sorted out. He sure hasn’t hadn’t much luck, but perhaps Detachment will mark a turning point.