Get ready to roll, because The Jesus has been reborn.
A full 22 years after the Coen brothers introduced John Turturro’s bit part, the convicted sex offender Jesus Quintana in The Big Lebowski, he is now set to return to the lanes in The Jesus Rolls.
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Turturro is both behind the camera and behind the script of the new movie, actually a loose remake of the 1974 French comedy Going Places, but with Quintana inserted into the action.
The original movie, written and directed by Bertrand Blier, was hugely controversial on its release.
The Jesus Rolls (Credit: Screen Media)
Starring Miou-Miou, Gérard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere, the movie centred on a trio of sexually depraved misfits embarking on a crime caper.
Joining Turturro on the bill for this new take is an impressive ensemble, including Audrey Tautou, Bobby Cannavale, SNL’s Pete Davidson, Jon Hamm, Susan Sarandon, Christopher Walken, and J.B. Smoove.
The Jesus Rolls (Credit: Screen Media)
Though the Coen brothers aren’t involved in the movie, they gave Turturro their blessing to use the character, who appears in only a couple of short – but memorable – scenes in The Big Lebowski.
Speaking to The Independent last summer, he said: “It’s a bit of a racy movie. It shows how stupid men are. That’s what the movie is kinda about – the women are the stronger, more together characters.
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“I had to tweak it a little bit but now I feel really good about it. It’s basically an exploration of Jesus getting out of jail. It’s a comedy but a very human comedy.”
Per the official synopsis: “Jesus Quintana (Turturro) pairs up with fellow misfits Petey (Bobby Cannavale) and Marie (Audrey Tautou) and embarks on a freewheeling joyride of petty crime and romance.”
As yet, there’s no official UK release date, but it lands in the US later this year.
