Adam Driver, who got his start with projects like “Francis Ha” and “Inside Llewyn Davis”, and also had a notable stint in the HBO comedy series “Girls”, has built an extensive and diverse filmography over the years. He’s been part of acclaimed dramas across different budget ranges as well as blockbuster franchises, captivating both audiences and top Hollywood talent. Driver has worked with esteemed directors such as Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, and Ridley Scott. Moreover, he received consecutive Academy Award nominations in 2018 and 2019 for his roles in Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”.
While Driver has been involved in many prominent award contenders, he’s also dabbled in genre movies. His most well-known, and perhaps controversial, role is that of Kylo Ren in the “Star Wars” franchise, an antagonist who met his end in the 2019 sequel, “The Rise of Skywalker”. He also appeared in “Midnight Special” and “65”, where he played an astronaut who crash-landed on what turned out to be a prehistoric Earth. His most recent project before this one, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis”, was a sci-fi epic that didn’t quite achieve the expected critical or commercial success.
Now, another of his films, “The Dead Don’t Die”, is making waves anew. In this movie, directed by Jim Jarmusch, known for films like “Mystery Train” and “Only Lovers Left Alive”, Driver portrays Ronnie Peterson, a police officer tasked with fighting off zombies. The comedy follows the residents of Centerville as they deal with corpses coming back to life around them. The cast is filled with big names including Bill Murray, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Selena Gomez, Austin Butler, and Tilda Swinton. Released in 2019, the film currently holds a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is rather disappointing considering the caliber of the talent involved.
However, “The Dead Don’t Die” has recently premiered on Netflix and is quickly gaining traction. As of now, this entertaining and offbeat zombie film ranks third on the streaming platform’s Top 10 U.S. Movies list, trailing behind 2024 releases “Carry-On” and the Kerry Washington-led war drama, “The Six Triple Eight”.
This isn’t the first time Driver has worked with Jarmusch. He previously appeared in “Paterson” and is set to star in the upcoming “Father, Mother, Sister, Brother”.
“The Dead Don’t Die” becoming a streaming hit is might finally be able to expand its audience. Surprisingly, the movie didn’t make much of a splash when it first came out, grossing just $15.3 million globally. It’s hard to fathom that its lackluster Rotten Tomatoes score was the sole reason people didn’t watch it, given its star-studded cast. But now, thanks to its presence on streaming and the buzz it’s generating, it has the potential to reach a wider audience and be recognized as a distinctive offering in the popular zombie genre.
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