He's trapped in an artifice," says Russo. Following his record of good behavior, Walker was granted his request to be moved to a halfway home in Mississippi and occasionally travel to care for his mother, who had leukemia. After basic training we were both stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. The couple met online when Walker was working on a project for a magazine. "It felt to me like the friends and family close to us that were struggling," says Russo. The Russo Brothers film adapted from Nico Walker's best-selling and critically acclaimed novel "Cherry" and filmed in Cleveland finally has a trailer and a release date. Soon after Walker’s book was released, Joe and Anthony Russo’s studio AGBO acquired the movie rights for $1 million. "It is, to me, uniquely American in its tone," O'Connell says. Walker was suspicious of the Russos handling his story — the same way he'd be with anyone. He also developed an interest in botany which he planned to take up professionally after his release. But not before she got to read his book. Walker makes it a point to write every day, and he feels that it holds him in balance. Release Date: Feb. 26 in select theaters and March 12 on Apple TV+. The story revolves around a young man who quits college to join the army, which becomes a turning point in his life. ", There's a scene early on in the book where the unnamed narrator is going through training. Following his record of good behavior, Walker was granted his request to be moved to a halfway home in Mississippi and occasionally travel to care for his mother, who had leukemia. We have five new images of Tom Holland in Cherry, his upcoming dark drama directed by the Russo brothers. After a 2013 article on him took the world by storm, Matthew Johnson, the co-owner of Tyrant Books, encouraged Walker to write a book. An Army medic suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder becomes a serial bank robber after an addiction to drugs puts him in debt. Walker was in prison as the movie was being sold and hadn't seen any of the Russo brothers' Marvel movies. "You see things like billboards and whole streets full of posters with Tom Holland's face on it, and it says Cherry and I'm just like ... is that even right?". Scott is mentioned in this NPR article about Nico Walker and Cherry. Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker (82) carries the ball against the New York Jets on the final play of the fourth quarter in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. ", "I have a tendency to get mentally fixated on things," says Walker. The Army was pretending to be the Army." Even the rollout of the movie has him feeling a certain way over his success. "There was no option. But not before she got to read his book. Tim O'Connell, who edited Cherry for Knopf, said that the book was timely as it tackled the opioid epidemic, the disillusionment with the Iraq war and vets returning home with PTSD. His mother ultimately passed away in 2020. He served as a medic stationed in Iraq and participated in almost 250 combat missions in his 11 months of service from 2005 to 2006. The book is a semi-autobiographical account of Walker’s life. © 2021 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Nico Walker was released early from prison in October 2019. Nico Walker. It's a third-person narrative based on his time in prison. Releases March 12, 2021. The young Army medic became so good that two different platoons requested him to be a part of their missions almost every day. He was released from prison early in Oct. 2019, so he could take care of his ailing mother. Joe Russo quotes this line as he talks about the self-referential voice of Cherry. Book: “Cherry” by Nico Walker. Walker's out of prison now. Not that any of this meant much to Nico Walker, who wrote the book the movie Cherry is based on. The book is dry, crass, and the kind of funny where you laugh and then get sad about laughing. Release Date: March 5th, 2021. Nico Walker was released early from prison in October 2019. Walker writes, "you'd have that though. When audiences take their chance to tune in and watch Cherry on Apple TV+, they’ll … 'Cherry' Author Nico Walker Is "Not Really Trying" To See The Film - Flipboard A drill sergeant punches him in the penis for no reason. The Jets won 16-11. Soon his drug use transformed into an all-consuming addiction, and he found himself robbing banks to support it. She did ask that he not swear so much in his next book, which he's almost finished writing. "The Knife of Never Letting Go," the first book in the "Chaos Walking" series by Patrick Ness, is finally … It's directed by Joe and Anthony Russo — their first since directing Avengers: Endgame. We were pretending to be soldiers. For his service in Iraq, Walker received seven medals and commendations. People explained to him the Russos had just directed the highest grossing movie of all time, and that this was a big deal. Walker lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his fiancé Rachel Rabbit White, a poet. Search Walker's out of prison now. If you are curious to know more about the man behind the story, what we know will interest you! The book ranked number 14 on The New York Times bestseller list upon its release in August 2018. She did ask that he not swear so much in his next book, which he's almost finished writing. "He's stuck in this sort of referential echo chamber from which he can't escape, and that contributes to the decline of his mental health. Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, Michael Gandolfini, Jack Reynor, Forrest Goodluck He is now working on his second book, which is based on his experiences in prison, written in a third-person narrative. Which is partly why he doesn't plan on seeing the Cherry movie. It's based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Nico Walker, who was just released from prison. We both partied too hard and failed out of college in the early 2000’s, both then enlisting in the wartime army at twenty years old. The Russo Brothers, directors of the upcoming crime drama Cherry, revealed that they negotiated for the rights to the book while the author, Nico Walker, was in prison.The book serves as a semi-autobiographical take on Walker's own life and stars Tom Holland as the titular character, a former Army medic who becomes addicted to opioids and begins robbing banks to pay for his addiction. "I was glad to be able to do something to make her proud after so much infamy," he says. He just bought it straight up. An Iraq Veteran, Heroin Addict, Bank Robber And Debut Novelist. Jared Padalecki, Walker Rebecca Brenneman/The CW. Nicholas Walker, better known as Nico Walker, gave the world the book on which the 2021 film ‘Cherry’ is based. "I just had to take people's word for it," he says. Someone sent Joe Russo a copy and within ten pages, he knew it was the next movie he and his brother would make. It quickly landed on the bestseller list and drew even more press attention to Walker. Cherry is a 2018 debut novel by American author Nico Walker.It concerns an unnamed narrator's time in college, as a soldier during the War in Iraq, and life as a drug addict and bank robber after returning from the war during the midst of the American opioid epidemic.It was published by … It's directed by Joe and Anthony Russo — their first since directing Avengers: Endgame. But not before she got to read his book. This story was edited for radio by Nina Gregory and adapted for the Web by Andrew Limbong and Petra Mayer. But when he talked with Joe Russo on the phone for three minutes, "Joe Russo said this is the next film that I'm going to make. Nico Walker is marching in circles around his house, thinking back on the time that someone tried to stab him with a pencil shank in prison. It's not going to be optioned," says Walker. He got out early on compassionate release to take care of his mother, who died of leukemia last year. He was released from prison early, in October 2019. The ball was lateraled several times on the play but Walker was stopped at the 9-yard line. The writer couple sometimes takes a look at each other’s work, but they try not to get in each other’s way. They knew the same sort of people, drove past the same sort of places — Joe Russo even worked at the same restaurant as Walker. The author behind one of Tom Holland’s next movie roles has cast his verdict on the film adaptation. It is, to me, uniquely American in its tone. Walker's out of prison now. Walker grew up in Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Cleveland. The actor is starring in The CW's Walker… He ultimately starts robbing banks to fund his addiction. Nico Walker and Rachel look forward to having a “big wedding” as soon as the pandemic situation eases up. Coming Soon. Cherry is a semi-autobiographical novel that follows Walker's path as a decorated U.S. Army medic in Iraq who returns to Cleveland, gets addicted to heroin and ends up a convicted bank robber. He'd never thought about writing a book before, and spent hours at the typewriters in the law library working on the book after teaching a continuing education class in prison. He got out early on compassionate release to take care of his mother, who died of leukemia last year. Rachel moved from Brooklyn to Oxford, and the couple spends their time writing and looking after stray cats. He dropped out of college and enlisted in the Army at the age of 19. Bustle - Released early from prison, the writer is continuing his career. Tom Holland in Cherry, adapted from Nico Walker's book. The new movie Cherry stars Tom Holland — you might know him as Spider-Man from the Marvel movies. In 2012, Walker was sentenced to 11 years in jail for approximately ten bank robberies that he carried out from December 2010 to April 2011. You just had to remember it was all make-believe. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. He primarily served his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky. Not that any of this meant much to Nico Walker, who wrote the book the movie Cherry is based on. hide caption. When he returns from Iraq, he finds himself traumatized and addicted to opioids. It’s strange to say, but I did not notice the narrator had no name the entire time I was reading Nico Walker’s novel “Cherry.” It was only when I sat down to write this review that I realized the person whose deepest thoughts I had been reading was unnamed to me, however fictional or autobiographical he may be. (AP Photo/James Kenney) "I just don't think it would be good for me to see, you know?" Like the protagonist in the book and the film, Walker had dropped out of college and enlisted in the army at the age of 19. We got to talking about other writers he admires — namely Scott McClanahan, whose books Walker read while incarcerated — who haven't gotten the same opportunities as Walker. Born on February 28, 1985, Nico Walker is a war veteran-turned-writer who wrote the book ‘Cherry’ over a period of four years while he was incarcerated. The drill sergeants were just pretending to be drill sergeants. He got out early on compassionate release to take care of his mother, who died of leukemia last year. Walker’s full release date is set for Sept. 4, 2020. In Esquire’s latest cover story, the Marvel star discusses his experience shooting ‘Spider-Man 3’, playing Nico Walker in the 2021 film, ‘Cherry’, and making his parents happy. However, Walker’s life took a different direction. However, the author is glad that she got to read his book, and he finally did something to make his mother proud. It was also shortlisted for the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award in 2019. Like Walker, the Russos were from Cleveland. Apple TV+ Walker was in prison as the movie was being sold and hadn't seen any of the Russo brothers' Marvel … Nico Walker It's too close, too personal of a story for him to see someone else's take on it. The new movie Cherry stars Tom Holland — you might know him as Spider-Man from the Marvel movies. Walker was written about in a 2013 BuzzFeed profile, which attracted the attention of Matthew Johnson at Tyrant Books, who persuaded him into writing a book. Michael Krim "I was glad to be able to do something to make her proud after so much infamy," he says. He got out early on compassionate release to take care of his mother, who died of leukemia last year. When he returned home to the USA, Walker started showing signs of severe PTSD and began using drugs, from heroin to oxycontin, as a way to cope. hide caption. "He can't separate his life from its fictional influences. There was no talk of writing a script and seeing what the next steps were. The new movie Cherry follows an Iraq war vet who gets addicted to heroin and starts robbing banks. Nico Walker's semi-autobiographical book 'Cherry' is now a film, but he's more focused on continuing his writing career after his early release from prison. Apart from writing his first novel in prison, Walker taught his fellow inmates English and Spanish grammar as a part of the GED (General Education Development) program. Ness is involved in writing this screenplay, so fans of his science fiction YA novel, about a world with no women where everyone can hear each other’s thoughts, can at least be assured that it will be faithful to the book. But not before she got to read his book. You have to get in a Texas state of mind for Jared Padalecki's first post-Supernatural TV venture. Cherry (2021) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Not that any of this meant much to Nico Walker, who wrote the book the movie Cherry is based on. In August 2020, Interview Magazine reported Walker had married poet Rachel Rabbit White. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/books/cherry-nico-walker.html Walker has been using the money from the sales of his book to repay the banks that he robbed. I have a lot in common with Nico Walker, author of the recently released debut novel, Cherry. Walker's out of prison now. Nico moved to Oxford, Mississippi, where he continues to live with his fiancée, the poet Rachel Rabbit White , who spoke exclusively with Distractify about what life with the Cherry author is like today. Nugent wrote that Walker plans to live with a friend in Oxford, Mississippi upon release.