Neil Young to star in fantasy Western movie
Neil Young has landed a starring role in an upcoming Western film directed by Daryl Hannah.
The movie called ‘Paradox’ will premiere at the South by Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas in March and it also stars country icon Willie Nelson and his sons Micah and Lukas Nelson.
As well as playing an as-yet-unspecified lead role, Neil Young’s music will feature and he has also produced the film under his pseudonym Bernard Shakey alongside Elliot Rabinowitz.
A plot synopsis on the South by Southwest website reads: "Time is fluid in this far-fetched, whimsical western tale of music and love.
"Somewhere in the future past, The Man In the Black Hat hides out between heists at an old stagecoach stop with Jail Time, the Particle Kid, and an odd band of outlaws. Mining the detritus of past civilizations, they wait… for the Silver Eagle, for the womenfolk, and for the full moon's magic to give rise to the music and make the spirits fly."
According to Neil Young fan site Thrashers Wheat, Neil Young began work on the movie back in September 2016 when the singer and Lukas Nelson’s band Promise of the Real performed in Telluride, Colorado in western costumes.
The film is Daryl Hannah’s full directorial debut. She has previously helmed some short films and she directed Neil Young’s ‘Somewhere In Canada’ webcast in Omemee, Ontario in 2017.
Alongside his influential music career, Neil Young has been involved in film for more than 40 years, making his directorial debut with Journey Through The Past in 1972.
Under his Bernard Shakey moniker he has also directed the documentary film CSNY/Déjà Vu (2008) and the comedy ‘Human Highway’ (1982) in which he also starred.