Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza Headline Kenneth Lonergan’s First Film in a Decade

Well, here’s one for the keen cinephiles: after vanishing from the director’s chair for the best part of a decade, Kenneth Lonergan is finally stepping back onto a film set. Yes, the same man behind Manchester by the Sea (which, let’s be honest, steamrolled the Oscars back in 2017) is preparing his next project. The film is called 'Tomorrow Is a Drag', and the cast list would make any producer drool.

Driver, Plaza, and Co. on Board

Adam Driver (who frankly seems to be in everything at this point) leads the pack. He’s worked with Lonergan before, but only on the theatre scene – specifically the Off-Broadway play Hold On to Me Darling. Now, he’s front and centre for Lonergan’s big-screen return. Driver’s not exactly been shy recently either, recently cropping up in Coppola’s Megalopolis (playing someone called Caesar Catilina for extra drama), and in James Gray’s Paper Tiger and the family comedy-drama Father Mother Sister Brother.

Backing up Driver is Aubrey Plaza, who has built her own legion of admirers, along with Vanessa Kirby (she’s everywhere from The Crown to Pieces of a Woman), plus a few more familiar faces. My pick of the bunch? Matthew Broderick, who also worked with Lonergan on Manchester by the Sea and – for obvious reasons – never really escapes the Ferris Bueller shadow.

Here’s the Full Picture So Far:

• Director: Kenneth Lonergan (first film since Manchester by the Sea, 2016)
• Leading Cast:
  • Adam Driver
  • Aubrey Plaza
  • Vanessa Kirby
  • Matthew Broderick (yes, that one)
  • And others yet to be revealed
  • Producer: Sara Murphy (recently did One Battle After Another with Paul Thomas Anderson, which nabbed its own Oscar)
  • International Sales: MK2 Films
  • North American Rights: WME
  • Start of Production: Shooting begins this autumn
  • Release Date: Not confirmed – so hold your horses
  • Plot Details: Absolutely nothing official. All very hush-hush. If you want to speculate based on the title, some are guessing it’ll combine dry humour and character heartbreak, much like Lonergan’s greatest hits (Margaret, You Can Count on Me, that sort of thing).

  No Loose Lips on the Story (Yet)

  Seriously, the plot is being kept so firmly under wraps you’d think it was the next Bond script. All we’ve got is the title, 'Tomorrow Is a Drag' – which does sound a bit like a Sunday night after a long week, but I digress. If it’s anything like Lonergan’s previous films, it’ll probably make you laugh, then cry, then laugh a bit uncomfortably again.

  'It’s rare anyone gets this lot together, especially for a director who’s basically a unicorn these days.'

  Bottom Line

  It’s early days, so no trailers or set photos to pore over just yet. But with a cast stacked this high and Lonergan finally out of movie exile, it could be one to watch out for. Or at the very least, a solid bet for next year’s festival chatter. Stay tuned for more as soon as anything leaks out (you know we will).