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Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the scripts behind the awards season’s most talked-about movies continues with 20th Century Studios‘ Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Directed and written by Scott Cooper based on a book by Warren Zanes, the micro-biopic chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 acoustic album Nebraska.
Set in autumn 1981, the story follows a 31-year-old Springsteen, who despite the massive success of his previous album The River and its subsequent tour, finds himself at one of the lowest points in his life. Instead of returning to the studio to record more hits as his label executives expected, Springsteen retreated to a quiet house in Colts Neck, NJ, to rest. During this period of isolation and burgeoning depression, he used a simple 4-track cassette recorder to self-record the 10 raw, haunted songs that would become Nebraska. The film is a character-driven drama that explores the man behind “The Boss” icon, staring inward at a personal and creative crossroads.
20th Century scooped up rights to finance and release the pic back in April 2024 with Jeremy Allen White aboard to star. The film world premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and hit theaters at the end of October. It has grossed $45.2 million at the global box office, and White has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal.
Central to Deliver Me From Nowhere is an exploration of isolation and the healing power of music. The story show Springsteen’s retreat from the world not just as a creative choice, but also as a response to a period of burgeoning depression and loneliness. Cooper and White described the film as the story of a “neglected soul” repairing himself through music, suggesting that the recording of Nebraska was an unplanned necessity born from a deep-seated need to confront unresolved trauma. This internal struggle is portrayed with raw honesty, focusing on the darker, mournful corners of humanity that inspired the record’s lyrics.
This internal journey is deeply tied to the ghosts of Springsteen’s past, particularly his complex relationship with his father, Doug Springsteen. The film examines how the elder Springsteen’s struggles with mental health and alcoholism spiritually haunted Bruce, influencing his perspective and his own battles with depression. These family dynamics are intertwined with a fear of success; the narrative depicts Springsteen worrying that his rising stardom might distance him from the working-class identity of his youth in Freehold, NJ.
The filmmakers emphasize a commitment to authenticity over mythology, choosing to strip away the rock-star icon to find the person underneath. This focus on the intimate details of the creative process highlights the burden of artistic vision, showing Springsteen’s persistence in honoring a somber, non-commercial direction even when it defied the expectations of label executives. Ultimately, the film is presented as a study of an artist’s quest for truth during a time of quiet, internal unraveling.
Read the screenplay below.
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