Noah Baumbach had bagged Academy Awards with his extraordinary envisioning of the emotional and psychological upheavals resulting from a divorce in Marriage Story. He managed to include the volatile emotions of a couple trapped in a loveless marriage as they proceed towards divorce and bicker over their son as well as their sense of responsibility. Baumbach’s delicate and tender handling of the bittersweet relationship helped humanise the characters played by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson who were beautifully flawed and imperfect for each other.
Following Marriage Story and The Meyerowitz Stories, Baumbach’s upcoming film White Noise marks the director’s partnership deal with the streaming platform. Baumbach solidified this partnership by stating, “When I started in the film industry I dreamed of having a home. It took me about 25 years but it was worth the wait. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be making movies with Ted [Sarandos] and Scott [Stuber] and everyone at Netflix, who are wonderful collaborators and friends and family.”
White Noise is set to be adapted from Don DeLillo’s eponymous 1985 novel and is based on an airborne spread of toxic chemicals that lead to a widespread evacuation of a small town. It is Baumbach’s first brave attempt at adapting a book into a screenplay for his feature and great things are expected from a director of his stature. Given his breadth of understanding of human emotions and the various emotional and socio-political conflicts, one can expect White Noise to exceed expectations.
With various rumour mills being abuzz with news regarding the filming of this much-awaited project, including blurred images of Adam Driver arriving for filming appearing on the Internet, we decided to compile all the information available regarding the upcoming film. Stay tuned in for more!
Noah Baumbach film White Noise: Everything we know so far…
What is White Noise all about?
The film is said to be a faithful adaptation of DeLillo’s book and has been described as a satirical comedy peppered with family drama. The movie will focus on the life of Jack Gladney, a professor of Hitler Studies, and his family comprising his wife Babette and their four children, and how their lives are torn asunder by a cataclysmic toxic chemical accident that pollutes the air of their town, forcing the small-townspeople to evacuate.
White Noise promises to focus well on the four children Fritz, Megan, Walker and Debbie while also touching on the idea of uncertainties, life philosophies and other conflicts that adorn their daily lives.
Who is starring in White Noise?
The film already has a strong and stellar cast that continues to grow in number. In December 2020, it was first announced that Greta Gerwig and Adam Driver were cast in the film. Driver is set to play Jack Gladney, the professor of Hitler Studies in a college, while Gerwig shall play the role of his wife Babette.
In July 2021, it was announced that Don Cheadle was drafted in to play a supporting role of a professor named Murray who was pushing hard to build up a similar discipline about Elvis Presley.
The cast comprises Sam Nivola, Raffey Cassidy, May Nivola and Samuel John Nivola as the siblings, Fritz, Debbie, Megan and Walker respectively. Jodie Turner-Smith is allegedly in talks with the production team and shall be on board the project soon.
Who is involved in the film production?
Before Baumbach, directors like Michael Almereyda and Barry Sonnenfeld were attached to the project that has been conceptualised since 2016. However, in 2020, Baumbach was roped in as the director by Netflix.
White Noise marks Noah Baumbach’s debut in writing and directing a book to film adaptation. He shall be joined by Douglas Aibel as the casting director while Mayra Auad is an executive producer and David Heyman and Uri Singer are the producers of the film. The film shall be produced by Passage Pictures and Heyday Films.
What is the production status of White Noise?
In 2020, the film was supposed to start filming in 2021 but pervading uncertainty regarding the repercussions of the pandemic pushed back the shooting schedule. On June 24, 2021, it was reported by The Chronicle Telegram that the film sets were being built in Oberlin and Wellington with a tentative mid-July filming schedule. Places like the Wellington Town Hall, Herrick Memorial Library, downtown storefronts with cool graffiti paintings and more are set to feature in the film.
Netizens living in that area have posted various pictures of the filming locations. With the filming commencing in July, the shooting should wrap up by September 2021. It is safe to assume that filming should end as soon as possible as it would denote Gerwig’s departure to start off with her upcoming film Barbie, the script of which has been written by her in tandem with Baumbach.
When will White Noise stream on Netflix?
With no official news being released about the project, one can only speculate a late 2022 release for the film.
Stay tuned for more updates on this upcoming film which shall hopefully help Baumbach win yet another Academy Award for Best Picture, following his success with Marriage Story in 2019.
