Willem Dafoe Cast in Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn

Willem Dafoe is set to join Edward Norton in his adaptation of the Lonathan Lethem novel Motherless Brooklyn

Willem Dafoe has been cast in the Edward Norton-directed film Motherless Brooklyn, according to Variety. Motherless Brooklyn is Norton’s adaptation of the Jonathan Lethem novel of the same name. He’s written the script and will produce through his Class 5 Films. William Migliore and Stuart Blumberg will produce, with Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane for MWM Studios. Sue Kroll will executive produce.

Amazon describes the Lethem novel “Motherless Brooklyn” this way: “St. Vincent’s Home for Boys, Brooklyn, early 1970s. For Lionel Essrog, a.k.a. The Human Freakshow, a victim of Tourette’s syndrome (an uncontrollable urge to shout out nonsense, touch every surface in reach, rearrange objects), Frank Minna is a savior. A local tough guy and fixer, Minna shows up to take Lionel and three of his fellow orphans on mysterious errands: they empty a store of stereos as the owner watches; destroy a small amusement park; visit old Italian men. The four grow up to be the Minna Men, a fly-by-night detective agency-cum-limo service, and their days and nights revolve around Frank, the prince of Brooklyn, who glides through life on street smarts, attitude, and secret knowledge. Then one dreadful night, Frank is knifed and thrown into a Dumpster, and Lionel must become a real detective.

“As Lionel struggles to find Frank’s killer–without letting his Tourette’s get in the way–he’s forced to delve into the complex, shadowy web of relationships, threats, and favors that make up the Brooklyn world he thought he knew so well. No one–not Frank, not Frank’s bitter wife, Julia, not the other Minna Men–is who they seem. Not even The Human Freakshow.”

Norton will play Essrog in Motherless Brooklyn, and Dafoe will play the developer’s brother. Dafoe is known for his Academy Award nominated performances in The Florida Project, Platoon and Shadow of a Vampire.

Are you guys interested in Motherless Brooklyn? Let us know in the comments.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

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