Though you might think the directorial debut from an Oscar winning screenwriter might be surrounded by a bit more hoopla, things have been relatively quiet around “Paradise” (formerly known as “Lamb Of God“) from Diablo Cody. Shot last year, things seem to have been kept on the down-low…until now. It turns out it’s heading to theaters in just a couple months and we’d wager a stopover at festivals in Toronto and New York probably isn’t out of the question, but at either rate a batch of new images has arrived from the movie.
Starring Julianne Hough, Octavia Spencer, Russell Brand, Nick Offerman and Holly Hunter, the story follows a young Christian girl (Hough), who survives a plane crash but is left with horrific burns. With her faith gone she travels to Las Vegas in order to experience the more sinful side of life and befriends Loray (Spencer), a craps dealer, and William (Brand), a bartender. Offerman and Hunter play the woman’s conservative and overprotective parents.
And while Las Vegas spurs the imagination with scenes of debauchery, Cody’s film has rather loftier goals in mind. “If you have ever been through something incredibly difficult, such as this kind of injury, you know it’s hard to stay positive and not surrender to cynicism completely,” she told USA Today. “I wanted to make a non-cynical movie that would inspire positivity.”
Cody cautions it might be a while before we see her directing again as she’s raising two young children, but you can take a trip to “Paradise” in theaters on October 18th.
