A song by John Mayer is being adapted into a “major” movie, according to the Dead & Company guitarist.
Mayer mentioned the project during his performance at the Rise for the River benefit concert at Pine Creek Lodge in Livingston, MT, where he played his 2012 album Born and Raised in its entirety. After finishing “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” he announced, “I want to say one thing that might get me in trouble, ’cause that’s what I do.” He continued, “That song is soon to be a major motion picture. It’s true. It’s true. It’s going to be a movie.”
“Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” tells the story of a man who resolves to build a homemade submarine to escape his melancholy life. In the face of doubt from his friends and family, Walt Grace perseveres and ultimately becomes a legend among those back home when he succeeds in his mission, leaving his wife and kids behind for good.
While Mayer may have just been talking, the notion of a “Walt Grace” film project has been floating around for some time. Per Slash Film, a short-form “Walt Grace” film project is listed on IMDb as being in the works from actor/writer/director Justin Wheelon, but the project is listed with a 2020 release date, and two years ago, Wheelon commented in a Reddit thread that he tried to get IMDb to update the project’s status to “pre-production” because the 2020 release date is “definitely wrong.” He also said that he was “eyeing Joel Murray [Mad Men, Shameless, Dharma and Greg] for Walt Grace. He’s such a good actor and has that everyman kind of look.” Wheelon declined to comment on the movie’s current status, according to Slash Film.
In 2019, “The Heart of Life”, another John Mayer song, was set to be the basis for an ABC sitcom, but the project ended up not being picked up. Last year, Variety reported that Mayer himself was in talks to be the host of a new talk show on Paramount+. He also recently made a cameo appearance in B.J. Novak‘s directorial debut, Vengeance.
Watch John Mayer’s announcement and listen to “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” below.
John Mayer Announces Development Of “Walt Grace” Movie – 8/21/22
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John Mayer – “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967”