Joaquin Phoenix to star as quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan in Gus Van Sant's 'Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot'

Image from THR

By Darian Scalamoni

            Joaquin Phoenix has teamed up with plenty of great directors including Spike Jonze, Ridley Scott, Paul Thomas Anderson and Gus Van Sant. Phoenix worked with the latter in the film, To Die For back in 1995 but according to Variety, they have another project in the works. Phoenix will star in the biopic Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot set to be directed by Van Sant himself.

            The movie is based on the autobiography of John Callahan who was paralyzed at the age of 21 and turned to cartooning. Callahan eventually won acclaim and even some controversy for some of his artwork that appeared in magazines like Playboy and Penthouse. Phoenix will play Callahan who at age 38, is now a recovering alcoholic. This sounds like a role right up the alley of a method actor like Phoenix and I can’t wait to see what he does with it. This movie had been in development for years with the late Robin Williams but I think the 3-time Oscar nominated actor will be great as Callahan.

            Phoenix is also set to star in You Were Never Really Here and the biblical drama, Mary Magdalene alongside Rooney Mara in 2017. Gus Van Sant, who is coming off the critical disaster, The Sea of Trees has a miniseries in 2017 titled When We Rise that we recently posted the trailer to here on the site.