The film version, tentatively titled Wheat Germ, is being directed by Noah Baumbach, who previously collaborated with Driver on While We’re Young (2014), and Marriage Story (2019). It appears to follow the general contours of the novel, in which a midwestern college professor and his family are evacuated from their town after a train accident unleashes an airborne toxic event.
It’s splendid stuff.
Driver is joined by Greta Gerwig (actor, director of Ladybird and Little Women, and Baumbach’s wife!), Don Cheadle, Jodie Turner-Smith and Alessandro Nivola in an eclectic ensemble cast.
Filming began in Wellington in Lorain County, and Driver and film crews were recently spotted in Canton (see above Tweet). Hiram, home of Hiram College, is also being considered as a shooting location and may serve as the fictional college where Driver’s Jack Gladney teaches Hitler Studies, a field he pioneered, (at least in the book.)
On IMDb, the film is listed as White Noise and is said to be in post-production — though it’s clearly still in production — and is slated for release in 2022. Meanwhile, Driver’s hotly anticipated movie musical Annette opens in theaters this week and on Amazon Prime Aug. 20.
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This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 10, 2021.
