Just a couple of days ago, Billy Bob Thornton revealed he had a new directorial effort in the works, “Jayne Mansfield’s Car.” Not much was known about the film but in an interview with Reuters (via /Film), Thornton has opened up a little more about the film.
“It takes place in 1969 in Alabama. It’s a comedy drama, and it’s about human relationships. This one deals a lot with how different generations view war and also it examines the randomness of life and death,” Thornton explained. As you may or may not be aware, actress and sexual icon Jayne Mansfield died tragically after the the car she was in rear-ended a semi-truck. It doesn’t seem like the film will actually be about Mansfield in any real way, but perhaps it will use her death as a catalyst and touchstone for the events in the film which we would imagine would touch upon the Vietnam war.
As for what drove him to sit down and write another film, Thornton explains his desire to make something he himself would want to watch or participate in. “I think because of the nature of movies they are making these days. They are really not my bag as much. I figured that instead of sitting around complaining that I really don’t want to be in a superhero movie or cartoon or a 3D vampire movie and all that kind of thing, I’ve written movies before, so why not write one. And that’s really, probably, the main reason I started to write this one.”
He adds that his fans, whoever they may be, will be pleased with what he has in store. “I think it’s one that any audience — that whatever audience I might have had or have now — it’s a movie I think they are really going to love. So, we’re anxious to get it out there.”
As he mentioned earlier in the week, Thornton co-wrote the script with Tom Epperson (“One False Move,” “A Family Thing“) and he hopes to get the film in front of cameras in the spring. No word yet on casting but with things seemingly moving ahead, details should be arriving soon.
