The Weinstein Company (TWC) has announced that Country Music Hall of Famer and Kennedy Center honoree Willie Nelson is on board to support Lawless, the epic gangster tale directed by John Hillcoat and written by Nick Cave.
Willie Nelson's previously unreleased "Midnight Run" is featured in the film. It is included on the Lawless soundtrack, which will be released by Sony Music on August 28, 2012, as a bonus track. Watch the specially created Lawless-themed "Midnight Run" music video below.
"Midnight Run" - Willie Nelson - Lawless clip:
In addition, Nelson will appear at a special screening of Lawless, based on a true story, days before the film's release in his home state of Texas.
The screening will take place on August 25th at the Alamo Draft House in Austin.
Lawless, starring Tom Hardy (INCEPTION, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES), Jessica Chastain (CORIOLANUS, THE HELP), and Shia LaBeouf (TRANSFORMERS franchise, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL), will be in theaters everywhere on August 29th.
The film is based on the gritty novel The Wettest County In The World by Matt Bondurant, grandson and grand-nephew of the story's main characters, the Bondurant brothers. Bondurant and members of the cast will join Nelson in making an appearance at the August 25th special screening.
"You see Lawless and you hear the music Nick Cave and Warren Ellis created for the film, and Willie and his music come to mind immediately," said TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein. "He is more than a natural fit. His music is lawless and his contribution to this film we're so proud of is one of the most organic unions I've ever been a part of."
"It is important that true stories like these from America's past are kept alive," said Nelson. "I didn't hesitate to collaborate on this project as someone with a deep love for Western history and of course country music."
Willie Nelson, born in the year Prohibition ended, describes "Midnight Run" as a song about the clandestine transport of moonshine whisky with a driving beat and whining harmonica. "Midnight Run" was written by Jim Dolan, Marc Copely and Adam Levy. His band JD & The Straight Shot have a new album for sale called 'Midnight Run' on itunes now.
For the film's music, Cave teamed up with long-term collaborator Ellis to form a band called the Bootleggers, playing country and bluegrass that mimics the film's 1931 rural Virginia setting.
Lawless is the true story of the freewheeling' Bondurant brothers, bootlegging siblings taking the law into their own hands. This is the story of the rural hard-men that created the big city gangsters.
Brazen and fearless, these young rebel brothers helped build the American Dream in this exuberant tale of what was to become crime's first major gold rush. The youngest brother, JACK (LaBeouf), fancies himself the next Al Capone; he dreams of sharp suits, guns, girls and fast cars, no matter the cost. Ambitious and impulsive, he takes the family's small-scale moonshining operation to the big leagues, to impress the gorgeous but off-limits Amish girl, BERTHA (Mia Wasikowska). The middle brother, HOWARD (Jason Clarke), is the brawling muscle - loyal but reckless - never one to turn down a taste of white lightning. And eldest brother, FORREST (Hardy), reluctantly accepts the changing times with grace and grit, leading the family with strength of character and silent determination against the beginnings of corporate greed. An enigmatic and stunning MAGGIE (Chastain) comes to town with a hidden past, igniting his passion and almost saving him in the process. As the Bondurants' legend grows, so too does the danger, and it's not long before the brothers must face the consequences of their transgressions, or rewrite the myth and the law themselves.
Lawless trailer:
About The Weinstein Company:
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, which has released such popular franchises as SCREAM, SPY KIDS and SCARY MOVIE. Together TWC and Dimension Films have released a broad range of mainstream, genre and specialty films that have been commercial and critical successes.
TWC releases took home eight 2012 Academy Awards®, the most wins in the studio's history. The tally included Best Picture for Michel Hazanavicius's THE ARTIST and Best Documentary Feature for TJ Martin and Dan Lindsay's UNDEFEATED. THE ARTIST brought TWC its second consecutive Best Picture statuette following the 2011 win for Tom Hooper's THE KING'S SPEECH.
Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as GRINDHOUSE; I'M NOT THERE; THE GREAT DEBATERS; VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; THE ROAD; HALLOWEEN; THE PAT TILLMAN STORY; PIRANHA 3D; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; A SINGLE MAN; BLUE VALENTINE; THE COMPANY MEN; MIRAL; SCRE4M; SUBMARINE; DIRTY GIRL; APOLLO 18; OUR IDIOT BROTHER; I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT; SARAH'S KEY; SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D; MY WEEK WITH MARILYN; THE IRON LADY; W.E.; CORIOLANUS; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; and BULLY. Currently in release are EASY MONEY and THE INTOUCHABLES. Upcoming releases include LAWLESS; KILLING THEM SOFTLY; THE MASTER; and SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. Currently in production is DJANGO UNCHAINED.
TWC is also active in television production, led by former Miramax Films President of Production and current President of Television Meryl Poster, with credits including the Emmy® nominated and Peabody Award winning reality series Project Runway, spin-off series Project Runway All Stars and Project Accessory, the VH1 reality series Mob Wives, spin-off series Big Ang and Mob Wives: Chicago, and the critically acclaimed HBO comedy/crime series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency which also received a Peabody Award. The company is currently in pre-production on the martial-arts epic Marco Polo for Starz. TWC additionally has 17 series in different stages of development, including The Nanny Diaries, being adapted for ABC by Amy Sherman Palladino (Gilmore Girls).
Lawless Official Website
Willie Nelson Official Website