John Turturro’s ‘Big Lebowski’ Spin-Off Still On The Way, Just Needed Some Tweaking
It’s been two and a half years since we heard anything aboutJohn Turturro’s spin-off fromThe Big Lebowskifocusing on his cocky bowling character Jesus Quintana. We saw a first look photo from the film, titledGoing Places, featuring Turturro back in a purple wardrobe and do-rag, but since then, we have heard nothing about when the movie might finally see the light of day. But now we have an update onThe Big Lebowskispin-off from Turturro himself, and the movie is still very much on the way.
The Independentrecently sat down to talk with John Turturro, and they asked aboutThe Big Lebowskispin-off, which Turturro says is “much more sexual” and potentially more controversial because of that. The director, writer and star explained:
Inspired by Bertrand Blier’s 1974 French filmLes valseuses, the film is said to begin with Jesus getting out of jail after being framed as a pedophile. However, the film doesn’t just focus on Jesus himself. Instead, he’s one of a trio at the center of the movie. Here’s how the official synopsis described the filmwhen the first look photo debutedback in the fall of 2016:
John Turturro plays Jesus Quintana in GOING PLACES, a film about a trio of misfits whose irreverent, sexually charged dynamic evolves into a surprising love story as their spontaneous and flippant attitude towards the past or future backfires time and again, even as they inadvertently perform good deeds. When they make enemies with a gun-toting hairdresser, their journey becomes one of constant escape from the law, from society and from the hairdresser, all while the bonds of their outsider family strengthen.
John Turturro is joined byAudrey Tatou(Amelie) andBobby Cannavale(Ant-Man, Chef), which sounds like an interesting cast to assemble for a comedy like this. But can the movie have a similar irreverence and style thatJoel & Ethan Coen’sThe Big Lebowskihad? We’re not sure about that, but Turturro still has the full support of the Coen brothers. Turturro said:
“They’re my friends, close friends, and were supportive when I said I wanna explore this character more. They said, you gotta do it cause we’re not doing it! If I have something to show, I show it to them if they’re around.”
So even though Joel & Ethan Coen aren’t actively working on the movie, they still seem to be giving Turturro their thoughts whenever they get a chance to see what he’s been doing behind the camera. At the end of the day,Going Placesneeds to stand on its own, and fans probably shouldn’t expect a movie likeThe Big Lebowski, which really is one of a kind. Maybe we’ll see the movie make a festival debut sometime this fall, or perhaps at Sundance early next year. Stay tuned.
