Jennifer Lawrence Will Play a Veteran Struggling with a Brain Injury in 'Causeway'

Jennifer Lawrence, who took a two-year break from acting to get married and have a child, will return to theaters in "Causeway," set for release in theaters and streaming on Apple TV+ later this year.

Lawrence, who starred in the "Hunger Games" movies and won an Oscar for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook," will portray a soldier who suffers a traumatic brain injury in Afghanistan and struggles to adjust to civilian life after leaving the service and returning to New Orleans.

"Causeway" is a new title for the completed film, which was produced under the title "Red, White and Water." It's the debut feature for director Lila Neugebauer, who's previously made episodes of the television series "Room 104," "Maid" and "The Sex Lives of College Girls." It's also the first produced script for screenwriters Luke Goebel, Ottessa Mosfegh and Elizabeth Sanders.

The movie also stars Brian Tyree Henry ("Atlanta"), Jayne Houdyshell ("Only Murders in the Building"), Samira Wiley ("Orange Is the New Black") and Stephen McKinley Henderson ("Dune").

Photos from the movie set suggest that Lawrence has abandoned the unfortunate bangs and nose ring she wore in the 2021 Netflix movie "Don't Look Up" from director Adam McKay ("Talladega Nights"). That was her first lead role since the 2018 spy drama "Red Sparrow," based on the series of novels by Jason Matthews, but that film didn't generate enough interest for a sequel. She also made a brief appearance as Mystique in the unfortunate sequel "X-Men: Dark Phoenix."

When an A-list movie star produces and takes the lead role in a movie from an inexperienced director and writers, and that character is battling a disability or disease, you can be sure that the star is hoping the movie will generate some serious awards attention. The four-time Oscar nominee hasn't had awards attention since 2016's "Joy."

Apple TV+ was behind the 2022 Best Picture "Coda," so don't be surprised if "Causeway" gets a big awards push if audiences respond to the movie. We'll have more details about the movie as it gets closer to release.

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