‘Renée Zellweger, Louie Anderson and It‘s Owen Teague have been cast in the lead roles of Heft for director Max Nichols (Two Night Stand). Heft, based on the bestselling novel by Liz Moore of the same name, was adapted by the author. The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson, who acquired the book in the fall of 2017, are producing.
Heft is about former academic Arthur Opp (Anderson) who hasn’t left his rambling Brooklyn home in a decade. Twenty miles away, in Yonkers, 17-year-old Kel Keller (Teague) navigates life as the poor kid in a rich school and pins his hopes on what seems like a promising baseball career―if he can untangle himself from his family drama. The link between this unlikely pair is Kel’s mother Charlene, (Zellweger), a former student of Arthur’s. After nearly two decades of silence, it is Charlene’s unexpected phone call to Arthur ― a plea for help ― that jostles them into action. Through Arthur and Kel’s own quirky and lovable voices, Heft is about two improbable heroes whose sudden connection transforms both their lives.
Zellweger is repped by CAA and Carrabino Management; Anderson by Gersh, Ahmos Hassan at Chariot Management, and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, and Owen Teague by CAA, Brevard Talent Group, Management 360, and Myman, Greenspan. Moore is repped by Seth Fishman of The Gernert Company, while Nichols is repped by CAA and Mosaic.’
Via Deadline
The Book to Screen Club 