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David Gordon Green’s departure from horror has four joining Ben Stiller for a family drama


Linda Cardellini, Edi Patterson, Tim Heidecker, and Toby Huss join the cast of David Gordon Green’s horror departure, Nutcrackers.

Nutcrackers, Linda Cardellini, Edi Patterson, David Gordon Green, Ben Stiller

David Gordon Green, the filmmaker behind Universal’s Halloween trilogy and The Exorcist: Believer, is leaving horror behind to direct a family drama starring Ben Stiller about a man connecting with his unruly nephews after a tragic accident claims their parents’ lives. The feature-length project is a hard left turn at Albuquerque for Green, who’s spent most of his recent filmmaker career bringing Halloween’s Michael Myers and William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist back to the horror fold. Is Green leaving horror for good, or is Nutcrackers a breath of fresh air before he returns to the bloody and brutal genre?

On Wednesday, Rivulet Films, Rough House Pictures, and Red Hour Films announced that Linda Cardellini (Freaks and GeeksDead to MeScooby-Doo), Edi Patterson (The Righteous GemstonesVice PrincipalsKnives Out), Tim Heidecker (UsTime and Eric’s Bedtime StoriesThe Comedy), and Toby Huss (Halt and Catch FireCopshopKing of the Hill) have joined Ben Stiller (ZoolanderTropic ThunderMystery Men) in the film based on a script by Leland Douglas.

Nutcrackers follows the work-obsessed Mike (Ben Stiller), who must reluctantly travel to rural Ohio to look after his four rambunctious nephews after their parents die in a car accident. After run-ins with the local deputy (Tim Heidecker) and misguided attempts to unload the boys on an orphan profiteer (Edi Patterson) and an eccentric empty-nester millionaire (Toby Huss), Mike becomes smitten with social worker Gretchen (Linda Cardellini), who helps him on his journey to find a home for the boys.

Stiller’s involvement with Nutcrackers ends a six-year chill time for the comedic actor. You need to imagine that something special about the script called out to him, compelling him to step back into the spotlight. Rivulet Films’ Rob Paris and Mike Witherill, Red Hour Films’ Ben Stiller and John Lesher, and Rough House Pictures‘ Nate Meyer are producing. Rivulet financed the film, which recently wrapped production outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

What do you think about the concept of Nutcrackers? Do the latest additions to the cast make you want to see the movie more? I like the idea of Stiller summoning a dramatic performance after a lengthy absence from the silver screen. Is this Stiller’s Phoenix moment? We’ll have to wait and see.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.

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