Some filmmakers chase box office glory. Others hunt for awards. Richard Linklater, it seems, is perpetually in pursuit of time itself.
The director who gave us the 12-years-in-the-making “Boyhood” and the decades-spanning “Before” trilogy has revealed that his 20-year passion project about American transcendentalism is finally gaining momentum. And the potential cast? Nothing short of extraordinary.
In a recent interview with Filmmaker Magazine, Linklater disclosed that Ethan Hawke is attached to play Ralph Waldo Emerson, with Natalie Portman hoping to portray feminist pioneer Margaret Fuller and Oscar Isaac potentially stepping into the role of Henry David Thoreau. It’s the kind of casting that makes cinephiles weak at the knees—three of our most thoughtful performers embodying three of America’s most influential thinkers.
Linklater described the project as a film about the “hippies of the 1830s and ’40s, the beginnings of feminism, environmentalism, abolitionism, all that,” envisioning it as a “19th-century hangout movie.” If that description doesn’t scream “Linklater,” I don’t know what does. The man who turned aimless conversation into an art form with “Dazed and Confused” and “Before Sunrise” now wants to apply that same loose, philosophical approach to America’s first great intellectual movement.
What’s fascinating about Linklater’s approach is his framing of these historical figures not as dusty intellectuals but as the countercultural rebels they truly were. These weren’t establishment figures in their time—they were radicals challenging the religious, social, and economic orthodoxies of their era. Calling them the “hippies” of their day isn’t just cute marketing; it’s historically apt.
The project’s long gestation period—two decades!—speaks to both its challenging commercial prospects and Linklater’s dogged persistence. “Although this project isn’t the most, shall we say, luring topic for prospective buyers,” he acknowledged, it might finally be “coming together” because “people feel a certain urgency to help it in a way that I’m grateful for.”
That “urgency” likely stems from Linklater’s elevated status following the success of “Boyhood” and his continued critical acclaim. With two films currently in theaters—”Nouvelle Vague” and “Blue Moon”—both receiving strong reviews, Linklater’s cultural capital has perhaps never been higher.
What’s particularly intriguing is how this project fits into Linklater’s ongoing fascination with time. From the real-time experiments of “Before Sunset” to the decade-plus filming of “Boyhood” to his current work on “Merrily We Roll Along” (which began filming in 2019 and will continue until the 2040s), Linklater seems determined to make cinema that doesn’t just depict time passing but actually embodies it in the production process itself.
Why Linklater’s Transcendentalist Film Could Be Extraordinary
The Perfect Director-Subject Match
Linklater’s conversational, philosophical style is ideally suited to bringing transcendentalist ideas to life without reducing them to dry academic discourse.
A Fresh Angle on American History
By framing transcendentalists as countercultural rebels rather than stuffy intellectuals, the film promises to reveal the radical energy of a movement often sanitized in history books.
The Dream Cast Chemistry
Hawke, Portman, and Isaac not only physically resemble their historical counterparts but possess the intellectual depth to make philosophical debate cinematically compelling.
Timely Themes in Historical Clothing
The transcendentalists’ concerns about individualism, environmentalism, and social justice resonate powerfully with contemporary issues, offering a historical mirror to current debates.
FAQ
How does this transcendentalist project fit into Linklater’s broader filmography?
This project continues Linklater’s fascination with philosophical conversation and the passage of time, themes central to his “Before” trilogy and “Boyhood.” While most of his films are set in contemporary settings, he’s proven adept at period pieces with “Me and Orson Welles” and “Apollo 10½.” The transcendentalist film combines his interest in philosophical dialogue with historical context.
Why has this project taken 20 years to develop?
The commercial challenges of marketing a film about 19th-century philosophers are obvious, but Linklater’s persistence speaks to his belief in the material. The project has likely gained traction now due to his enhanced industry standing following “Boyhood” and his recent critical successes. Additionally, the themes of transcendentalism have perhaps become more culturally relevant in recent years.
What might Linklater’s “hangout movie” approach bring to historical figures?
Linklater’s “hangout” aesthetic—characterized by loose narrative structure, naturalistic dialogue, and emphasis on character over plot—could humanize these often mythologized historical figures. Rather than the reverential approach typical of historical biopics, we might see Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller as complex, contradictory people working through their ideas in real-time.
In an era of franchise filmmaking and algorithm-driven content, there’s something almost rebelliously transcendentalist about Linklater’s approach to cinema. His willingness to spend decades nurturing a project about 19th-century philosophers feels like its own kind of self-reliance, a rejection of industry conformity that Emerson and Thoreau might have appreciated.
Whether this film will finally make it to production remains to be seen. The casting announcements suggest serious momentum, but Hollywood history is littered with passion projects that never quite crossed the finish line. What’s clear is that Linklater has earned the cultural capital to pursue his most uncommercial instincts.
For cinephiles and history buffs alike, the prospect of seeing Hawke, Portman, and Isaac bringing America’s philosophical pioneers to life under Linklater’s direction is tantalizing. If anyone can make 1830s transcendentalist debates feel as vibrant and immediate as a late-night conversation among friends, it’s the director who turned philosophical walkabouts into the beloved “Before” trilogy.
