Tubi Films released a new clip from its upcoming dark western thriller, ‘The Thicket,’ featuring the Metallica frontman James Hetfield.
The movie, based on Joe R. Lansdale’s novel, will be in theaters on Friday, September 6. Peter Dinklage plays Shorty, a bounty hunter hired to find a woman kidnapped by a dangerous killer.
Set around the 1900s, the movie follows Shorty and his team as they enter a wild and dangerous area called the Big Thicket. ‘The Thicket’ also features Juliette Lewis, Esmé Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Leslie Grace, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Macon Blair, Ned Dennehy, Andrew Schulz, and Arliss Howard.
The movie was filmed last year, directed by Elliott Lester (‘Blitz’), with a script by Christopher Kelly. “The casting of James Hetfield in ‘The Thicket’ is a story that feels almost destined,” Lester previously told Collider about how Hetfield joined the cast. “It all began with a dream — one morning I woke up with a clear vision that James had to be in the movie.”
The director continued, “James Hetfield, a Rock God, embodies a raw poetry that fit perfectly with the character we envisioned. From that moment, Peter Dinklage and I were relentless in our pursuit. We tried every possible avenue: his manager, mutual friends, anyone who could help us reach him. Our breakthrough came when writer/director Sacha Gervasi [‘Anvil! The Story Of Anvil’], who had a connection to James, stepped in.”
“Despite our efforts, we were unsure if James would even consider the role,” Lester said before sharing Hetfield’s reaction. “We sent him the script, along with a Hail Mary, and waited. To our delight, within days we heard that James was interested. The meeting that followed confirmed our hopes. James could not have been more humble.”
He also added, “He revealed that he had always wanted to do a dark western, aligning perfectly with our film’s vision. From that point on, James was incredible. He was hard-working, diligent, and fully embraced his role with a passion that brought a unique intensity to the film. The journey with James has been extraordinary, and his presence truly elevates ‘The Thicket’ to a new level.”
This is the singer’s second time playing a cop. He previously played Officer Bob Hayward in the 2019 Ted Bundy movie ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.’