Entertainment

John Turturro Teased More Details for His Weird 'Big Lebowski' Spinoff

"It’s basically an exploration of Jesus getting out of jail."
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Left photo via screenshot. Right photo Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images.

For the past few years, John Turturro has teased the return of one of his most iconic characters—and no, it's not Monkeybone, sorry. According to the actor and director, he's been hard at work on a Big Lebowski spinoff called Going Places starring his shit-talking, bowling ball–licking character Jesus Quintana. The film reportedly shot in New York all the way back in the summer of 2016, but Turturro has been pretty quiet about it ever since, aside from a few tease-y quotes to the Hollywood Reporter about how the movie will be "much more sexual" than Lebowski ever was. Weird!

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Now, thanks to a new interview with Turturro in the Independent, it sounds like we might finally get to see the Coen Brothers-less Lebowski spinoff soon. According to Turturro, the film has been stuck in the edit all this time, but he's finally feeling good about how it's coming together. Per the Independent:

Turturro’s next projects are mostly intimate, character-driven affairs, none of which are more anticipated than Going Places, The Big Lebowski spin-off he’s writing, directing and starring in, reprising his role as Jesus Quintana from the Coens’ 1998 hit. “It’s a bit of a racy movie. It shows how stupid men are. That’s what the movie is kinda about – the women are the stronger, more together characters,” he teases.

He also says that the Coen Brothers have been on hand to offer guidance during the filmmaking process, though it doesn't sound like the original Lebowski writers and directors have much to do with Going Places:

“I had to tweak it a little bit but now I feel really good about it. It’s basically an exploration of Jesus getting out of jail. It’s a comedy but a very human comedy,” he says, adding that the Coens have totally given their blessing. “They’re my friends, close friends, and were supportive when I said I wanna explore this character more. They said, you gotta do it cos we’re not doing it! If I have something to show, I show it to them if they’re around.”

Going Places is said to be a remake of Bertrand Blier's 1973 French road trip sex comedy of the same name. The official synopsis, which dropped a few months after the film started shooting in 2016, says it's "a film about a trio of misfits whose irreverent, sexually charged dynamic evolves into a surprising love story as their spontaneous and flippant attitude towards the past or future backfires time and again, even as they inadvertently perform good deeds." It's set to star Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, and Susan Sarandon alongside Turturro. All this to say that, uh, this movie sounds like it is going to be very, very strange.

There's still no word on when, exactly, Going Places will hit theaters, but it seems like we're getting close to an official release date, at least. The Jesus is coming back, everybody. That creep can roll, man.