Shia LaBeouf is continuing his streak of independent dramas with After Exile. The young actor will join the great Robert De Niro on screen as his son. LaBeouf will play Mike Delaney who was sent to prison for killing an innocent man after a violent robbery. Once he is finally released, he gets pulled back into the criminal life with his ex-convict, alcoholic father (De Niro). Riddled with guilt, the two must save Delaney’s younger brother from a life of drugs and crime.
The drama will be directed by Joshua Michael Stern who sat in the director’s chair for Swing Vote, Jobs, and the Epix series Graves. Relatively newcomers Anthony Thorne and Michael Tovo are writing the script for the well-rounded stars. The film comes from Pacific Shore Films through producers Anthony Thorne and Steve Snyder as well as executive producer Les Cohen.
Shia LaBeouf is most known for his big-budget tentpole films like the Transformers and Indiana Jones franchises, but After Exile is following a string of powerful, nuanced performances from the former Disney Channel star. Shia can currently be seen in Peanut Butter Falcon, a touching and relatively short independent film that follows a friendly young man with Down Syndrome on a Huckleberry Finn-like journey to become a wrestler.
In the critically acclaimed movie, Shia plays Tyler, a fisherman that is buried in regret, and debt. While on the run from some local crabbers, Tyler meets the runaway Zak and the two build a powerful friendship. Dakota Johnson , Zack Gottsagen co-star alongside LaBeouf. Peanut Butter Falcon boasts a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Unfortunately, LaBeouf is also known for his personal troubles, something that he is now ready to bring to the big screen. The trailer for Honey Boy was recently released and it puts a raw Shia in his own biopic of sorts. From a screenplay by the subject himself, LaBeouf plays his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and felon.
The film explores the life of Otis, a young actor that struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health after a difficult childhood and a young adulthood wrought with alcoholism and pressure. The film also stars Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased, Manchester by the sea) and Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place). The Alma Har’el film was released at Sundance and is expected to hit theaters on November 8, 2019.
After Exile puts the young actor beside Robert De Niro, but LaBeouf is no stranger to working alongside renowned actors. He featured prominently in Lawless beside Jessica Chastain (Dark Pheonix, Tom Hardy (Venom), Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3) and Jason Clarke (First Man). He also filled a spot in the ensemble cast of Fury alongside Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Jon Bernthal (Netflix’s The Punisher) and Michael Pena (Ant-Man and the Wasp). De Niro himself will next be seen starring alongside Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel in Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited mob thriller The Irishman coming to Netflix. He will also appear in the Joker film starring Joaquin Phoenix.
We look forward to seeing the direction LaBeouf aims to take his career with these recent announcements. Filming on After Exile will start in Philadelphia in October. This news comes to us by Variety.
