The new dramedy Brave is assembling an all-star cast of Native actors. Dallas Goldtooth, Amber Midthunder, Wes Studi, and Graham Greene will star in the new film, which is set to film next summer. The Hollywood Reporter has the news, and notes that it will be the first film ever to shoot on Choctaw land.
Brave will star Goldtooth as Uncle Jack, a military vet struggling with alcoholism who works at a local casino. When his estranged brother dies, he meets his young niece Jillian, who is dying of liver cancer; she needs a transplant, but years of substance abuse have ravaged Jack’s, making him an unsuitable donor. What he can do is fulfill her last wish and find a home for her dog, Carl. This sounds like a grim premise, but producer John Day assures audiences that “…it’s a comedy. It doesn’t end the way you think it does.” Greene will play Jack’s long-suffering father, Pops, while Studi and Midthunder will play Ernie and Charlie, an odd-couple pair of reservation police officers. This won’t be the first collaboration for the four stars; they all appeared on the FX/Hulu series Reservation Dogs. The part of Jillian is currently being cast.
Who Are the Stars of ‘Brave’?
Goldtooth starred on Reservation Dogs as William Knifeman, a spirit guide who died at the Battle of Little Bighorn. He has also appeared on Rutherford Falls, Echo, and Fallout. Midthunder starred on the TV series Legion and Roswell, New Mexico before breaking out as the star of Prey, the latest incarnation of the Predator series. She is next set to star with Jack Quaid in the thriller Novocaine, and will also appear in the second series of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. An Oscar-nominee for his role in Dances With Wolves, Canadian actor Greene has been a familiar screen presence for decades, appearing in films like Die Hard With a Vengeance, The Green Mile, and Wind River. He will next appear in the thriller Ice Fall with Joel Kinnaman. Studi broke out as Magua in Michael Mann‘s adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans; he has since starred in Heat, Mystery Men, and Avatar.
Brave will be written and directed by Steven Paul Judd (Echo, Dark Winds). It will be produced by Judd, Day, and Ken Hendersen, and was developed in close cooperation with the Choctaw Nation.
Brave is currently in pre-production and will film next summer on the Choctaw Nation Reservation in southeastern Oklahoma; no release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.