American Pastoral Movie Cast, Plot and Everything to Know

Follows a family whose seemingly idyllic existence is shattered by the social and political turmoil of the 1960s.

Plot

What's the story about?

Plot

Ewan McGregor stars as Seymour "Swede" Levov, a once legendary high school athlete who is now a successful businessman married to Dawn, a former beauty queen. But turmoil brews beneath the polished veneer of Swede's life. When his beloved teenage daughter, Merry, disappears after being accused of committing a violent act, Swede dedicates himself to finding her and reuniting his family. What he discovers shakes him to the core, forcing him to look beneath the surface and confront the chaos that is shaping the world around him.

Cited as official plot version from lionsgate.com

Drama Adaptation

Top Cast

The lead cast starring in American Pastoral.

• 
  Jennifer Connelly

  ... Dawn

  Top Gun: Maverick, Blood Diamond

• 
  Dakota Fanning

  ... Merry Levov

  Coraline (15th Anniversary re-release), The Watchers

• 
  Ewan McGregor

  ... Seymour 'Swede' Levov

  Beauty and the Beast, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

• M
  Molly Parker

  ... Dr. Sheila Smith

  You Gotta Believe, Peter Pan & Wendy

• U
  Uzo Aduba

  ... Vicky

  Painkiller (series), Lightyear

• R
  Rupert Evans

  ... Jerry Levov

  Hellboy, The Boy

• V
  Valorie Curry

  ... Rita Cohen

  Inherit the Viper, Blair Witch

• 
  David Strathairn

  ... Nathan Zuckerman

  Nomadland, Godzilla

• P
  Peter Riegert

  ... Lou Levov

Crew Behind the Film

The American Pastoral behind-the-scenes crew and production team.

The film's writer John Romano last wrote The Lincoln Lawyer and Nights in Rodanthe.

Director

Ewan McGregor

Screenwriter

John Romano

Producers

Gary Lucchesi
Tom Rosenberg

Production Details

What we know about the American Pastoral movie production.

Key Facts

• As director/actor Ewan McGregor told VanityFair.com: "I have dreamt of directing a feature for the last 15 years and never found the 'right' story. I wanted to direct, not for the sake of being a director, but because there was a story I HAD to tell. Well American Pastoral gave me everything I was looking for. I was incredibly lucky that I had Lakeshore's trust and incredible talent in front of and behind the camera to make Roth's story the film I thought it should be. The creative collaboration with the cast and the crew was as thrilling as I had hoped it would be. I was a very happy man making this film and it is the film I wanted it to be."
• Ewan McGregor will make his directorial feature film debut.
• Based on the novel "American Pastoral" by Philip Roth.

Production Updates for American Pastoral

Mar 2016

Completed

Changed American Pastoral movie production status. The movie is ready for release.

Feb 2015

Pre-Production

Changed the movie production status to Pre-Production. Filming scheduled for September 2015 in Pittsburgh.

Aug 2014

Development

Changed the movie production status to Development. The movie is likely in scripting, budgeting, or stuck in "development hell."

Dec 2004

Announced

Changed the movie production status to Announced. No additional details available for this status.

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Additional Information

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