With Steven Soderbergh stepping away from the director's chair, we'd argue that David Gordon Green is one of only a few American filmmakers who share his spirit of cinematic adventure. He's helmed everything from no budget indie dramas to big mainstream studio comedies. And last month, Green hit the Sundance Film Festival with his latest, "Prince Avalanche," a remake of an Icelandic movie no one has hard of. And for his followup? A gritty Southern drama with Nicolas Cage and "The Tree Of Life" star Tye Shreridan.

Yep, Green and Cage are combining forces for "Joe" and once again, and as you might tell from the first official image, it's a massive gear change for the director. “I’m almost finished with this new movie, ‘Joe,’ we’re almost done with it,” the director told us in Park City. “It’s Nicolas Cage in a movie that’s not like anything Nicolas Cage has done before. It’s dark as f***. It’s a slow-burn, dark, heavy movie. Very grim.” So what's it about? Here's the official synopsis:

In the dirty unruly world of small-town Texas, ex-convict Joe Ransom (Cage) has tried to put his dark past behind him and to live a simple life. He works for a lumber company by day, drinks by night. But when 15-year-old Gary (Sheridan) - a kid trying to support his family - comes to town, desperate for work, Joe has found a way to atone for his sins - to finally be someone’s hero. As Joe tries to protect Gary, the pair will take the twisting road to redemption in the hope for a better life in this tough, hard-hitting but incredibly moving story.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/first-look-nicolas-cage-tye-sheridan-in-david-gordon-greens-joe-20130207