The long-awaited spinoff of cult hit The Big Lebowski appears to be quite literally going places, as recent updates reveal the project nearing completion.
Going Places writer, director and actor John Turturro gave an update as to the status of the film in an interview with The Independent. The film has been in the can since 2016, when filming officially wrapped, but has been kept in limbo for three years. Turturro, reprising his role as bowling heel Jesus Quintana from The Big Lebowski, admitted that the editing process took longer than usual so he could make some aesthetic tweaks to the final product.
"It’s a bit of a racy movie," Turturro teased. "It shows how stupid men are. That’s what the movie is kinda about -- the women are the stronger, more together characters. 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."
Going Places is both a spinoff of The Big Lebowski and a remake of Bertrand Blier's 1974 French film of the same name. It begins when Quintana is released from jail after he was imprisoned with accusations of being a pedophile. Once out, he joins up with a new crew played by Bobby Cannavale and Audrey Tatou.
According to an officially-released synopsis,
John Turturro plays Jesus Quintana in Going Places, a film about a trio of misfits whose irreverent, sexually charged dynamic evolves into a surprising love story as their spontaneous and flippant attitude towards the past or future backfires time and again, even as they inadvertently perform good deeds. When they make enemies with a gun-toting hairdresser, their journey becomes one of constant escape from the law, from society and from the hairdresser, all while the bonds of their outsider family strengthen.
Original Lebowski directors and writers Joel and Ethan Coen were not involved with the project, but Turturro assured that everything was done with the blessing of the Oscar-winning duo. "They’re my friends, close friends, and were supportive when I said I wanna explore this character more," he said. "They said, you gotta do it cause we’re not doing it! If I have something to show, I show it to them if they’re around.
Turturro also said that Going Places will be "much more sexual" than the original film, which is understandable given the controversial subject matter that surrounds Quintana's character. Though the movie skipped on Sundance earlier this year, this update should set it up for a fall debut, rolling into theaters like an errant bowling ball.