Luck is Back
New Willie Nelson movie to begin filming in Central Texas next month
The luck has turned around for Willie Nelson's storied Spicewood, Texas ranch. The country singer and his famous Luck, Texas will star in the new movie Waiting for the Miracle to Come, set to begin filming in March.
The location, which doubles as Nelson's personal ranch and a miniature Western town, was originally built as the 1986 film Red Headed Stranger, inspired by Nelson's 1975 album of the same name. In recent years, the iconic town served as the home to Heartbreaker Banquet, a one-day music festival held during SXSW.
However, Luck wasn't so lucky last summer when severe weather struck. "Last week's tornado force winds ripped several buildings apart, including the bank, the post office and left World Headquarters holding on by a splinter," read a post from Nelson's official Facebook page. "Luck is a tough town. It can be rebuilt."
And rebuilt it was. Director and producer Lian Lunson is bringing Nelson and his famous town back to the silver screen for Waiting for the Miracle to Come. The fantastical story follows an aspiring trapeze artist (Sophie Lowe) as she travels to the California desert and finds herself the company of retired vaudeville performers Jimmy (Nelson) and Dixie Riggs (Charlotte Rampling).
"I wrote this script for Willie Nelson," Lunson said in a press release on Wednesday. "His presence and stillness as an actor are unlike anyone else. And growing up I always wanted to be Charlotte Rampling, so bringing these two icons together on screen is a dream come true for me."
Lunson was the driving force behind the documentaries Willie Nelson: Down Home and Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. This is her first foray into fictional feature films, but Nelson is no stranger to the game. The Texas musician has acted in wide array of movies, from classics such as The Electric Horseman and Honeysuckle Rose to more recent films like Half Baked and Angels Sing.
Another big music name is attached to the project. Bono has been tapped to write an original song for the film, which will be performed by Nelson himself.