Sam Rockwell is one of those actors who deliberately avoids major blockbusters in favour of smaller, more meaningful movies.
That doesn't necessarily mean that they're all serious ones, sure, but they're not the kind of movies you'd see where there's tons of explosions and the like. Even in the rare occasions where he does turn up in them, like 'Iron Man 2' or something, you can tell he's out of place.
That's why playing country music legend Merle Haggard feels exactly like the right role for Sam Rockwell. Deadline is reporting that Rockwell will play the former convict-turned-singer, who was actually in the audience as a prisoner when Johnny Cash played San Quentin in 1958.
As you can imagine, Haggard had a colourful life, from being abandoned by his mother at 13, learning to steal cars, breaking out of juvenile detention facilities, to turning his life around when he saw Johnny Cash performing in San Quentin, and beyond to having a successful career as a musician with 38 Number 1 hits.
Musical biopics are slowly making their way back to prominence, with the likes of 'Rocketman' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' scoring Oscar wins and praise for their inventive ways of blending music, performance, and drama into the one movie.
No release date has been set for the movie as of yet, however Amazon Studios have confirmed that Robin Bissell, who directed 'The Best of Enemies' with Rockwell starring, is taking on the movie with a script that will be co-written by Theresa Haggard, Merle's wife.
