Shia LaBeouf has rarely shied away from embracing bizarre career opportunities and generally weird artistic ventures. Having said this, even as the former Even Stevens star continues to deliver compelling performances, his latest job might prove to be one of his most personal and visceral yet because of how close it will hit to home. On that note, we have officially learned that Shia LaBeouf is currently gearing up to portray his own father in a movie that will loosely be about his life.
The film in question will be called Honey Boy (which was apparently the childhood nickname of Shia LaBeouf), and it will loosely chronicle his life as a child star as he attempts to repair his relationship with his estranged father, Jeffrey LaBeouf, over a span of ten years. LaBeouf has spoken publicly about his relationship with his father over the years, highlighting how his drinking and criminal activity drove a wedge between them. Now he will have the opportunity to explore that rift from the other side.
Honey Boy will be directed by Alma Har'el, an Israeli filmmaker arguably best-known for her recent work in the documentary genre with her recent work on projects like 11/8/16 and LoveTrue. Given her experience working with real stories, it has us excited about the potential for authenticity in this tale.
Shia LaBeouf is not the only actor who has signed on for a role in this movie. In addition to the Transformers star, Variety also reports that Honey Boy has also tapped Manchester by the Sea actor Lucas Hedges to play LaBeouf in the film.
Lucas Hedges has arguably made some solid career moves over the course of the last few years. After earning an Oscar nomination for his role in the previously-mentioned Kenneth Lonergan film, he went on to appear in Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird. Considering the strength of his recent choices, his decision to sign on for Honey Boy could bode well his work alongside Shia LaBeouf.
Honey Boy is the latest in a series of interesting career choices made by Shia LaBeouf. The former Disney star has stuck to smaller films in recent years, delivering an array of eclectic performances in projects like American Honey, Man Down, and (most recently) as tennis legend John McEnroe in Borg vs McEnroe. However, amid all of those roles, Honey Boy could turn out to be one of his most personal and affecting performances to date.
That is what we currently have on Honey Boy, but CinemaBlend will make sure to bring you more information related to the project as new details related to it become available to us. As of right now, you can also head over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to see what movies are coming this year and fill out your moviegoing schedules accordingly!
