The film adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel Motherless Brooklyn has been in the works for a while. In a 2010 interview, Edward Norton said, “I think I would definitely like to act in it but the directing thing I think we’ll have to wait and see.” Things have changed since then: for the finished film, Norton served as writer, director, and star. Much like the character he once voiced on The Simpsons, Norton is indeed a triple threat.

The first trailer for Motherless Brooklyn is out, and it looks quite promising.

Norton’s adaptation, due in theaters on November 1, is set in 1950s New York, and features a staggeringly good cast. Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Willem Dafoe, and Michael K. Williams are among the actors you’ll see in it. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for this one.

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