Adam Driver to Star in Jeff Nichols’ Next Film ‘Yankee Comandante’ (EXCLUSIVE)

By Justin Kroll

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Adam Driver will star in an adaptation of “Yankee Comandante,” Variety has learned.

“Mud” director Jeff Nichols is writing and helming the pic, marking a reunion for the pair, who worked together on 2016’s “Midnight Special.” While production start dates are up in the air due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shuttered the industry, sources say shooting is expected to begin in 2021.

Imperative Entertainment and 30West are in discussions with select studios about the project, with the package shopped to distributors earlier this week.

The film is based on David Grann’s New Yorker article about two people who rose to the rank of comandante during the Cuban Revolution. One was Che Guevara. The other was a man from Ohio.

Driver most recently starred in Netflix’s “Marriage Story” and Amazon’s “The Report,” with his role in the former earning him several awards nominations, including an Oscar nod. He also reprised his portrayal of Kylo Ren in the final installment in the Skywalker saga, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

Prior to industrywide production shutdowns caused by the coronavirus crisis, Driver was shooting Ridley Scott’s latest period drama, “The Last Duel,” opposite Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Jodie Comer.

Best known for his original dramas like “Midnight Special,” “Take Shelter” and “Mud,” Nichols most recently helmed the critically acclaimed “Loving.” The film earned rave reviews and an Oscar nomination for Ruth Negga.

Driver is repped by Gersh and Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern. Nichols is repped by CAA and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson and Christopher.