Alexander Payne Seeks Bruce Dern & Will Forte For Nebraska

It took Alexander Payne seven years to get a follow-up to Sideways made, but he’s hoping that it’ll be a lot quicker to get his low budget movie Nebraska made. Deadline reports that he’s already thinking about casting it, and has zeroed on on the actors he wants for the lead role, Bruce Dern and Will Forte.

While neither actor has been approached yet, the chance to work with Payne will be tough to pass up, so we’d expect them to sign on. If they do, Dern will play a struggling alcoholic who believes he has won a sweepstakes lottery, so he hops in the car with his underachiever of a son (Forte) to claim his prize.

While SNL star Forte is only really known for full-on comedy, he’s struck me as a versatile talent. Payne obviously agrees, and believes he can do justice to his brand of drier humour. The director hopes to shoot the black and white road trip film before the end of the year.