The Prohibition Tale ‘WETTEST COUNTY’ Is Set for a Title Change

In a time when a title alone can determine whether or not someone will go see a film or not (take for example the studio ramblings around dropping the “Of Mars” from John Carter), John Hillcoat‘s upcoming film Wettest County seems to be the latest victim of studio heads over analyzing the little details in order to cater to the “everyday film-goer.”   It is being reported by The Playlist via Matt Bondurant’s twitter page (the author of the book The Wettest County in the World) that the film’s title is getting repealed.  The author simply tweeted “get ready to change hash tag – title change in works.”

Wettest County follows Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy as bootleggers of a moonshine during the Depression in Virginia.  Musician Nick Cave stepped out from behind the microphone and has helped write the screenplay with novelist Matt Bondurant.  Cave previously collaborated with director John Hilcoat on the exceptional and gritty western The Proposition. Ugly, authentic, real, and dirty are just a few words that I would use to describe The Proposition; one of my favorite films of 2005.  Hillcoat’s stunning imagery and contemplative characters set against the dusty landscapes makes me excited for what the director’s upcoming film will be like.  Not to mention that two of 2011’s biggest acting names will also star in the film: Gary Oldman and Jessica Chastain.

Who knows what the film will be named now.  It originally was scheduled for release this April but is now set for August 31. If the studios are reading this, I do have one title suggestion: Dry Land.  Either that or The Beef and Bane Like Booze.  One of the two would suffice.