Everything We Know About Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Legendary singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen’s fifth studio album, a double album called The River, was his fastest-selling release yet when it reached stores in 1980, became an international hit, and was his first album to reach #1 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. So when his sixth album, Nebraska, came along in 1982, it was surprise that it was so pared down in comparison to its predecessor: Springsteen recorded the songs for Nebraska without the accompaniment of the E Street Band, sitting in the bedroom of his home with a four-track recorder, drawing inspiration from Gothic literature, American history, and Terrence Malick’s Badlands. He had intended to re-record the songs with the band, but he wasn’t satisfied with how they sounded when the band performed them, so he just sent his solo recordings out into the world. It was such an interesting decision, Warren Zanes was inspired to write a book about it called Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. Now, that book (and that period in Springsteen’s life) is getting the film treatment with Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, which is set to reach theatres on October 24, 2025. In anticipation of the film’s release, we have put together a list of Everything We Know About Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Here we go:
DIRECTOR
Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska‘s journey to the screen began with producer Eric Robinson, who read the book and felt it had the makings of a great movie. As per the book’s publisher, “Nebraska expressed a turmoil that was reflective of the mood of the country, but it was also a symptom of trouble in the artist’s life, the beginnings of a mental breakdown that Springsteen would only talk about openly decades after the album’s release.“
Robinson and fellow producer Ellen Goldsmith-Vein brought the project to writer/director Scott Cooper, whose previous credits include The Pale Blue Eye, Antlers, Hostiles, Black Mass, Out of the Furnace, and Crazy Heart, an Oscar-nominated (and, for star Jeff Bridges, Oscar-winning) film about a country musician. Cooper also saw the story’s film potential and joined forces with Robinson, Goldsmith-Vein, and producer Scott Stuber, the former Chief of Film at Netflix, to get the project rolling. Zanes serves as an executive producer on the film alongside Tracey Landon, who worked with Cooper on The Pale Blue Eye
At one point, A24 looked likely to be the distributor, but a heated bidding war broke out and it was the Disney-backed 20th Century Studios that ended up winning the chance to be financier and distributor. David Greenbaum, president, Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios, provided the following statement: “It is a once-in-a-lifetime honor to be collaborating with Bruce Springsteen, an inspiring and incomparable artist who represents so much to so many. The deep authenticity of his story is in great hands with my friend Scott Cooper whom I am thrilled to be collaborating with once again.“
Cooper added, “I once read that Nebraska is an album that moves you to the marrow of your bones. I couldn’t agree more. Bruce Springsteen, and Nebraska, in particular, have had a profound impact on me and my work. Through themes of despair, disillusionment, and the struggles of everyday Americans, Bruce has formed an unparalleled legacy, painting an unflinching portrait of the human condition. Yet, amidst the darkness, a sense of resilience and a sense of hope shines through, reflecting an indomitable spirit. That’s the Bruce I’ve come to know and love and will honor with this film. Warren Zanes’ wonderful telling of this chapter in Bruce’s life is ripe for cinematic adaptation. This film has the potential to be a transformative cinematic experience, offering audiences a window into the soul of Bruce Springsteen and the universal truths that bind us all together.“
When filming began, Cooper released another statement: “Beginning production on this film is an incredibly humbling and thrilling journey. Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska has profoundly shaped my artistic vision. The album’s raw, unvarnished portrayal of life’s trials and resilience resonates deeply with me. Our film aims to capture that same spirit, bringing Warren Zanes’ compelling narrative of Bruce’s life to the screen with authenticity and hope, honoring Bruce’s legacy in a transformative cinematic experience. It has been a great pleasure to collaborate with Bruce and Jon [Landau] as I tell their story, and their creative energy fuels every part of this journey. As well, I’m excited to reunite with my friend, David Greenbaum, as he embarks on his new role at Disney, adding another layer of inspiration to this project.” Greenbaum was the head of production at Searchlight Pictures when Cooper made Antlers there.
Springsteen and his longtime manager Jon Landau are both involved in the project, giving the filmmakers access to Springsteen’s music. Landau said, “Warren Zanes’ Deliver Me from Nowhere is one of the best books ever written about Bruce Springsteen and his music. Bruce and I are thrilled that Scott Cooper has chosen to write and direct the film based on that book – we think he’s the perfect filmmaker for the job. Scott, with Producers Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson at The Gotham Group, and Scott Stuber are bringing together a superb team to ensure that this project has the vision and soul that have been the hallmark of Bruce’s 55-year career. We’re thrilled to have the wholehearted commitment and support of the entire team at 20th and Disney.“
The movie will be about Bruce Springsteen and the long effort to put together his seminal Nebraska album, which started to take shape as he and the E Street Band were laying down tracks for his massive hit album Born in the USA.
CAST
You might think that finding the right actor to play Bruce Springsteen would be quite a challenge, but Cooper had already made his choice by the time the project was officially announced: the role went to Jeremy Allen White, who played Phillip “Lip” Gallagher on the TV series Shameless for eleven seasons, portrayed wrestler Kerry Von Erich in The Iron Claw, and is currently four seasons into playing Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto on the TV series The Bear (with at least one more season to come). White, who does his own singing in the movie, held off on directly speaking with Springsteen for a while after taking the role. Before filming began, he was quoted as saying, “We’ve communicated a little bit through some other people. I’m trying to have a bit of my own process with it before meeting the man. I wanna try and have an understanding, so that when I meet him I’ll have a bit of confidence somewhere in me to stand there.“
His process worked, because Springsteen was impressed. He said in an interview on Sirius XM, “He sings very well. It’s a tremendous cast of people. They cast the film beautifully, so it’s very exciting. Jeremy is such a terrific actor that you just fall right into it. He’s got an interpretation of me that I think the fans will deeply recognize and he’s just done a great job, so I’ve had a lot of fun being on the set when I can get there.” Landau agreed, “Oh my God, he’s just perfect. The casting is great. [Director] Scott [Cooper] said to me at the beginning, he said, ‘We get the right cast, and we’ll tell this story right,’ and he got the right cast.“
White’s co-stars include newcomer Matthew Anthony Pellicano Jr. as a young Bruce Springsteen; Jeremy Strong (Succession) as Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager and record producer; Paul Walter Hauser (The Luckiest Man in America) as Mike Batlan, Springsteen’s recording engineer during the Nebraska sessions; Stephen Graham (Adolescence) as Douglas Frederick “Dutch” Springsteen, Springsteen’s father; Odessa Young (The Order) as Faye, Bruce’s love interest; Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent) as Adele Springsteen, Bruce’s mother; Marc Maron (GLOW) as Chuck Plotkin, Springsteen’s producer and mixing engineer; David Krumholtz (Numb3rs) as Al Teller, record executive at Columbia; Johnny Cannizzaro (Jersey Boys) as E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt; Harrison Gilbertson (Oppenheimer) as Springsteen’s close friend Matt Delia; Chris Jaymes (It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Trying) as Dennis King, the mastering engineer; Arabella Olivia Clark (Evil Lives Here) as Bruce’s sister Virginia; Grace Gummer (Extant) as Jon Landau’s wife Barbara; Bartley Booz (Babygirl) as record producer, engineer, and sound mixer Toby Scott; Bailey Rae Allen (The Playboy Murders) as Maggie, a free-spirited girlfriend from Springsteen’s youth; Lynn Adrianna Freedman (Gone Girl) as a character named Gladys; Sarah Szloboda (Bloody Knuckles) as an “E Street Wife”; and Matt Gorsky (Wolves) and Stephen Singer (Eleanor the Great) in unspecified roles.
Landau was so thrilled to see Jeremy Strong playing him, he told The Hollywood Reporter, “I died and went to Heaven. He’s a great guy. We’ve had the chance to know each other, and I’m just dying to see what he does and what I learn from it.” He added that he and Springsteen were “very pleased at the way they’re going about it, it’s going to be beautiful.“
Filming began on October 28, 2024 and lasted through January 11, 2025. Production primarily took place in New York and New Jersey, but there was some additional photography in Los Angeles. Springsteen visited the set multiple times, dropping by to watch the cast and crew film in Rockaway, New Jersey on November 1, in Bayonne, New Jersey on November 4, in Asbury Park on December 10 and 11, in the Meadowlands on January 8 and 9, and in Freehold Borough on January 10.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Springsteen admitted there were some awkward moments when he was on set. “I mean, there’s some unusualness to it because the movie involves, in some ways, some of the most painful days of my life. But it was a great project, and Jeremy and Jeremy Strong were both fantastic, terrific in it as were all the other actors. Stephen Graham plays my dad, and he’s out of this world, but everybody that was engaged in the film, they were all tremendous.” As for his frequent visits to the set of Deliver Me from Nowhere, Springsteen said he was welcomed more than maybe he should’ve been. “I’m sure it’s much worse for the actor than for me. Jeremy Allen White was very, very tolerant of me the days that I would appear on the set. I said to him, ‘Look, anytime I’m in the way, just give me the look and I’m on my way home.’ So the days that I got out there, he was wonderfully tolerant with me being there. And it was just fun. It was enjoyable… If there was a scene coming up that was sometimes really deeply personal, I wanted the actors to feel completely free, and I didn’t want to get in the way, and so I would just stay at home. If Scott Cooper, the director, wanted or needed me there for something, I would try to make it.“
After production wrapped, White said, “It was incredible, challenging, and a dream come true. I feel really lucky. We all had Bruce’s blessing. The film tells the story of a very pivotal moment, Bruce struggling to reconcile the pressures of success versus his past.“
MARKETING
The first official image of Jeremy Allen White in character as Bruce Springsteen was unveiled during filming and can be seen above. The first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere dropped online in June and can be seen right here:
And that’s everything we know about Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere… for now. Are you looking forward to this movie? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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