TOM HOLLAND IN CHERRY
Drugs, Theft + War
The Russo Brothers have directed Tom Holland in three Marvel superhero movies, but as the titular Cherry, Holland is not your friendly neighborhood Spider-man.
Cherry fashions itself a high-octane epic that combines bank robbery, PTSD, heroin addiction, and of course, a love story. Shot on location in Ohio, Cherry combines grittiness with a coming-of-age story.
An aimless college drop-out who eventually serves in Iraq as an Army Medic, Cherry arrives home a war hero. Still, he is battling undiagnosed PTSD while trying to remain anchored to his one true love, Emily (newcomer Ciara Bravo). As Cherry becomes more unhinged, he spirals into drug addiction. Cherry and his group of fellow misfits turn to bank robbery to fund their addictions.
In addition to Holland and Bravo, rounding out the ensemble is Cousin Joe (Michael Gandolfini aka James Gandolfini/Tony Soprano’s son), Pills and Coke (Jack Reynor, doubling up), Tommy (Michael Rispoli), and Jimenez (Jeff Wahlberg, yep he’s Mark and Donnie’s nephew).
The production team is more of a family affair than usual. The script is co-written by the Russo Brother’s sister, Angela Russo-Otstot (along with co-writer Jessica Goldberg). Although she had a small role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, this is the first feature screenplay that Russo-Otstot has written for her brothers to direct.
The film is based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name by Nico Walker. According to Deadline, optioning the book took longer than usual because Walker was still in prison and ran out of weekly phone minutes before they could seal the deal.
As the New York Times reported, Walker (the real-life “Cherry”) robbed around a dozen banks and came away with over $40,000 in loot. NPR reports that Walker plans to pay back his debt with potential profits from the movie.
As of now, Cherry is set for a theatrical release on February 26, 2021. Or, you can wait until March 12 when it begins streaming on Apple TV+ on March 12, 2021.
