Bill Pohlad’s ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ Sells to Roadside Attractions, Plans Summer Release
Brent Lang Executive Editor Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to “Dreamin’ Wild,” a drama about the rediscovery of singer and songwriter Donnie Emerson after years spent in obscurity. The film, which was directed by Bill Pohlad, a filmmaker who unearthed gold from another music industry saga with his 2014 Brian Wilson film “Love & Mercy,” premiered at Venice. “Dreamin’ Wild,” a reference to an album that Donnie released with his brother Joe Emerson, will open nationwide only in theaters on August 4, 2023. Roadside previously released “Love & Mercy,” making this a reunion for the filmmaker and distributor. The film centers on the critical reevaluation of “Dreamin’ Wild,” and the impact that second chance has on Donnie, his wife Nancy, brother Joe, and father Don Sr. as they must come to terms their new fame. Pohlad uses two different actors to explore the real-life characters in different time periods, just as he did in “Love & Mercy” with Paul Dano and John Cusack sharing the role of The Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson. This time, Oscar-winner Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) plays the older Donnie Emerson and Noah Jupe, who appeared in “Honey Boy,” plays the younger. Walton Goggins (“Justified”) and Jack Dylan Grazer (“It”) take on Donnie’s brother Joe, while Beau Bridges plays the family patriarch. Zooey Deschanel plays Donnie’s wife Nancy.