Hurt and Bacon in 'Jayne Mansfield's Car'

(AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS GUILLOT)

It's been a decade since Billy Bob Thornton directed films and for his return to the helm he has cast John Hurt ( Harry Potter), Kevin Bacon ( Frost/Nixon) and Robert Duvall ( Crazy Heart) in Jayne Mansfield's Car.

The film, co-written by Thornton with Tom Epperson, will be produced by Alexander Rodnyansky, founder of the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 and whose recent film Elena won a Special Jury Prize this year in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes, reported Deadline Hollywood.

Jayne Mansfield's Car is a dramedy about an Englishman whose American wife dies and requests a burial in Alabama, where he meets her first husband and grown children. Set in 1969, the story centers around the culture clash of these two families.

Following up his acclaimed directorial debut in 1996, Sling Blade, Thornton directed All the Pretty Horses with Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz, adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel.

Thornton has since performed in the comedy Bad Santa, the romantic comedy Love Actually and the indie drama Monster's Ball with Halle Berry. Recently he made The King of Luck, a documentary about Willie Nelson. He has also toured with his blues rock band The Boxmasters.

Robert Patrick ( Terminator 2) and Ray Stevenson ( The Book of Eli) will also appear. Guitarist/singer Dwight Yoakam and actor Dennis Quaid were previously linked to the film.

Production begins June 22 for a 2013 release.

RC