Two years ago, film director Scott Cooper and writer Warren Zanes were summoned to Bruce Springsteen's house in New Jersey. The meeting was a surprise: Springsteen had been 'saying no to every overture about making a film of his life since 1986'. But the screenplay based on Zanes' book 'Deliver Me from Nowhere' had piqued his interest. The book focuses on Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska, which Zanes calls 'the greatest left-turn performed by someone who is operating at the top of the charts in musical history'.
Released between The River and Born in the USA, Nebraska was a stark, lo-fi collection of home recordings made while Springsteen battled depression. Its songs were haunted by serial killer Charles Starkweather, mobster Philip Testa, and Springsteen's strained relationship with his father. The album's sound occasionally resembled the punk duo Suicide more than heartland rock. Manager Jon Landau's first reaction was to suggest Springsteen seek 'professional help', which he did. He also declined to promote the album, yet it became a top five hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
Cooper faced the challenge of making a cinematic story about a man recording an album alone in his bedroom. 'How do you capture the writing process in a cinematic way? How do you make the silence cinematic?' he asked. At the meeting, Springsteen seemed enthusiastic, greeting them with high-quality cheesesteak sandwiches. Cooper found the experience 'nerve-wracking', having been a huge Springsteen fan for decades. He had listened to Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad while writing screenplays for films like Out of the Furnace and Hostiles.
Cooper read the script aloud in front of Springsteen and Landau, both cinephiles. 'Every so often, Bruce or Jon would say something and I'd quickly jot it down, just to correct something I'd written, make it more authentic,' Cooper recalled. At the end, Springsteen hugged him and said: 'This is it – let's go.' Cooper laughed: 'Once I'd regained my sea legs.' Springsteen's enthusiasm for the project is clear, unlike Bob Dylan's approach to A Complete Unknown, which he blessed but then kept a distance from.
