Destin Cretton

Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term 12 was one of the best movies of 2013, and remains one of the most surprising indie dramas of the past several years. It’s the film that finally put Brie Larson on the film industry’s radar, charting a path towards an eventual Oscar win. One of the greatest strengths of that film is how delicately it unpacks the day-to-day trauma and struggle of neglected teens living at a group home. With that in mind, Cretton’s latest film The Glass Castle sounded especially promising – an adaptation about a dysfunctional family told through the eyes of a young girl. Unfortunately The Glass Castle is nothing like Short Term 12, trading in nuance for glib storytelling while giving Larson little to do.

In The Glass Castle, Woody Harrelson plays a man constantly living on the edge. His Rex Walls is an alcoholic father with good intentions but untraditional, even dangerous, parenting methods. In the film, Destin Daniel Cretton’s adaptation of Jeanette Walls’ New York Times best-selling memoir of the same name, Brie Larson portrays the adult version of the author as she reflects on her tumultuous childhood and complicated relationship with her father, Rex. It was only after Larson was trapped by a thunderstorm with Harrelson in real life, unsure if she was entirely safe or not, that the Oscar winner knew Harrelson was the right fit for the role.

Brie Larson’s The Glass Castle definitely looks like one of those awards-bait family drama movies that actors join up with when they really, really want to win an Oscar. But Larson has already won an Oscar, and keep in mind that this is from Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of Short Term 12, the movie that effectively launched Larson’s leap to stardom.

Audiences first took notice of Brie Larson’s dramatic talents with 2013’s Short Term 12. Now, after earning her first Oscar and landing the lead in Marvel’s upcoming female-led superhero film, the actress is reuniting with the director who helped bring her into the spotlight.

Creed cementing director Ryan Coogler as a major movie talent, and the future Black Panther director may already have an eye on TV. Coogler has begun developing a new series with Short Term 12 director Destin Cretton, set to focus on Minors within the juvenile detention system.

Michael B. Jordan is undeniably one of our most engaging rising stars, proving the sheer force of his talent with his role in Fruitvale Station (and lest we forget, his earlier role on Friday Night Lights). Jordan has two upcoming high profile roles with Fantastic Four and Creed, but his next project will take him back to a more intimate environment as he teams with the director of the acclaimed indie Short Term 12 for Just Mercy.