By The upcoming coming of age film based on Steven Spielberg’s own childhood has a proper title now, moving forward as The Fabelmans.
The title comes with the development that the production is still in search of its “Young Spielberg” actor, whose character is actually to be named “Sammy,” if a recent open casting call is to be accurate. Casting director Cindy Tolan, who’s worked with Spielberg just recently on his West Side Story adaptation, is in search of two actors for the Sammy role; a 6-8-year-old and 14-18-year-old, for two screen depictions of the Sammy character. This would indicate that the script, penned by Spielberg and frequent collaborator Tony Kushner (Lincoln, West Side Story), chronicles Sammy over the course of several years throughout childhood.
Though the “Young Spielberg” (or rather, “Young Abelman”) role is yet to be filled, we’ve known that Michelle Williams was onboard for the role modeled after Spielberg’s mother, with Seth Rogen joining as an uncle character, and Paul Dano taking the part of Spielberg’s father, rounding out the Fabelmans household.
The original word was that the production was looking to begin principal photography this July, with the hopes of releasing to (hopefully well-recovered) theaters next year. Though such a pivotal role remains unfilled, it seems The Fabelmans is well underway. Spielberg has remained an incredibly prominent voice in American filmmaking, with his recent work characterized by large-scale productions, and experimentation with cutting-edge technology or the seeking of the most detailed and authentic presentations. The Fabelmans is sounding like a smaller, clearly more intimate project for the cinematic titan, and I’m eager to see it nurtured for as long as it takes.
Source: Slash Film