Matthew McConaughey Joins Gus Van Sant’s SEA OF TREES

Matthew McConaughey ‘s critical darlings like Mud and Magic Mike connected him with some truly great directors around, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and Richard Linklater.

The actor recently told why his career seemingly switched gears from the romantic comedies:

You get one first chance and I am just telling the same book, different chapter. I switched gears, I said I want to recalibrate what I’m doing in my career right now but I enjoyed what I did before. I’ve enjoyed the last 22 years, and I’m not arrogant enough to boo hoo anything I’ve done in my career. I did spend some time with a conscious decision, saying, ‘You know what, I don’t really feel like doing some of the roles that are similar to what I have been doing,’ action adventure, romantic comedies and such. So before I said this is what I want to do, I had to say’ I don’t wanna do that right now.’

Now, he’s getting set to team up with such a creative filmmaker like Gus Van San (Good Will Hunting). According to TheWrap, his next potentially big project will be Van Sant’s new drama Sea of Trees, penned by Buried writer Chris Sparling. Back in December, it was reported that Joaquin Phoenix was taking an interest for the same role.

If you’re not familiar, the script was voted to the 2012 Black List and McConaughey is to star opposite Ken Watanabe as a suicidal American who befriends a Japanese man (Watanabe) in the titular forest at the base of Mount Fuji. Then, the two team up to try and escape the forest and “begin a journey of reflection and survival.”

The premise sounds promising to be sure and it’d be interesting to see McConaughey in more of an art-film context. Van Sant’s last film was the 2012 drama Promised Land, while McConaughey, nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club will next appear in Christopher Nolan‘s highly-anticipated sci-fier Interstellar.

Check out the documentary below — Japanese geologist Azusa Hayano took a film crew from Vice.com deep inside the site known as ‘Jukai’ – the sea of trees – to share what he has learned.