Noah Baumbach is working with Netflix on multiple movie projects after he signed his deal with Netflix back in January 2021. The first of his new projects is a film adapting the Don Delillo novel, White Noise, which is coming to Netflix in December 2022. Here’s everything we know so far about the new movie.
First reported back in September 2020, the movie was eventually confirmed to be in development at Netflix in January 2021. The movie is set to adapt the 1985 novel White Noise by Don DeLillo which is part of Penguin’s Orange Collection.
We're making it official with Noah Baumbach!
The director of THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES & MARRIAGE STORY will exclusively write & direct for Netflix for the next several years — starting with WHITE NOISE, an adaptation of Don DeLillo's seminal novel. Filming begins later this year. pic.twitter.com/agFr9Esrv8
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) January 28, 2021
The project is notably Baumbach’s first foray into adapting and directing a screenplay. Up until now, all of the movies he’s directed have been original works.
When will White Noise be released on Netflix?
With the release of the trailer, we can confirm that White Noise will be released on Netflix on Friday, December 30th, 2022.
The movie first premiered at the Venice Film Festival, which took place between August 31st and September 10th.
Until the release of White Noise, you can catch a number of Noah Baumbach movies on Netflix, which we track via our library section. Also, Noah’s first award-winning movie is still available on Netflix in the form of Marriage Story and his earlier movie starring Adam Sandler, The Meyerowitz Stories.
What’s White Noise about?
Described as a family drama and a comedy, the movie will be a faithful adaptation of the book by most accounts.
Here’s what you can expect.
“At once hilarious and horrifying, Don DeLillo’s White Noise dramatizes a contemporary American family’s attempt to deal with the mundane conflicts of day-to-day life while grappling with the larger philosophical issues of love, death, and the possibility of happiness in an uncertain world.”
In addition, we’re told this adaptation will feature heavily on the family’s four siblings: Fritz, Debbie, Megan, and Walker.
The movie progresses when a toxic airborne event causes the small town to evacuate.
Who is behind White Noise for Netflix?
Front and center on the film is Noah Baumbach, who is both directing and adapting the screenplay. Before Baumbach was attached to the project (it’s been optioned since October 2016), it was originally reported that Barry Sonnenfeld and Michael Almereyda were attached.
Douglas Aibel serves as the casting director for the movie, while Mayra Auad, David Heyman, and Uri Singer serve as executive producer and producer, respectively.
Heyday Films and Passage Pictures serve as the production companies behind the movie.
Who is starring in White Noise for Netflix?
The cast for White Noise is impressive and continues to grow.
In December 2020, we first reported that Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig were on board to star.
Adam Driver will play the role of Jack Gladney who is described as a professor of (yes this is real), Hitler studies at a liberal arts college.
Playing Jack’s wife, with whom Jack shares six kids, is Greta Gerwig.
Don Cheadle was announced to play the role of Murray / Morty in July 2021, a supporting character. His character is a colleague of Jack’s who is vying to create a similar study around Elvis Presley.
Other supporting roles include Sam Nivola, who will play the role of Fritz, and Raffey Cassidy as Debbie.
Also, thanks to a report from Bazaar, we know that both kids of British actress Emily Mortimer will appear. May Nivola, as we previously mentioned, with Samuel John Nivola also starring.
Variety reports that Jodie Turner-Smith is also in talks to star.
Where is White Noise in production?
Current Production Status: Post-Production (Last Updated: 05/08/2021)
When we first reported on the movie back in September 2020, all we knew was that the movie was going to be filmed in 2021. Of course, with restrictions across the US back in September, it wasn’t exactly clear when that would happen.
Then, various production schedules listed the movie to film at some point in summer 2021, with most seemingly pointing towards the end of June 2021, and was going to be filming under the working title of Wheat Germ.
On June 24th, The Chronicle-Telegram, which covers news for Elyria and Lorain, reported that rehearsals on the movie had begun and that sets were being built across Wellington and Oberlin. They stated that the shoots were planned for mid-July 2021. Wellington Mayor Hans Schneider told The Chronicle:
“I think it’s great. Anytime you get to showcase your community … it’s an opportunity for us to put our best foot forward. There’s a unique feel to the downtown district. All those buildings were built in the 1800s — (and there’s) the architecture of the Town Hall and how it commands a presence over the area, the beauty of the Herrick Memorial Library and the downtown storefronts.”
On June 30th, WKYC Studios posted a short clip of Adam Driver arriving to begin preparation for filming. A short news segment, which we’ve embedded below. It’s a blurry photo of Adam Driver, but a photo nevertheless!
A local news station also noticed that filming had begun with a 30-second segment on News 5 Cleveland with various set pictures included.
Additional pictures of the various filming locations have been spotted by residents that have been posted to Twitter:
Netflix is filming a movie “White Noise” in my town. It stars Adam Driver. They went all out set decorating the streets up town. pic.twitter.com/APDuLPaXg6
— Seannanigans (@ReelDawg75) July 12, 2021
According to production schedules that we’ve seen, the movie will film throughout the summer and wrap up in late September 2021. Conflicting reports suggest that filming may not end until January 2022.
Once wrapping, Greta Gerwig will be moving on to direct her next film Barbie which will be distributed by Warner Brothers. Baumbach helped pen the script alongside Gerwig.
As of the 4th of August, filming came to an end and has now moved on to post-production.
Adam Driver, center left, pauses during a break in filming on the Wellington, Ohio set of Noah Baumbach’s new Netflix film “White Noise.” pic.twitter.com/rVGnFtFVWC
— Brian Lumley (@brian_lumley) July 22, 2021
WorldofReel reports that the production was plagued with problems throughout the shoot which led to a budget having to be much bigger than originally expected.
Let us know in the comments below if you’re excited about the release of White Noise.