‘The Jesus Rolls’ Teaser: The First Footage From the ‘Big Lebowski’ Spin-Off Looks…Questionable

John Turturro has long dreamed of making a spin-off from The Big Lebowski focused on his character, Jesus Quintana. While the Coen Brothers had no intention of ever making a follow-up film, they granted Turturro to use the character as he saw fit, and so he did. The result: The Jesus Rolls, a film Turturro directs and stars in. The movie has had a long road to release – Turturro started filming it back in 2016. Now, it’s destined to arrive next month. And there’s now a teaser offering the first real footage from the film. So how does it look? Well…uh…see for yourself…

The Jesus Rolls Teaser

I don’t want to be unfair to The Jesus Rolls, since this is very much a teaser and contains little real footage – it’s mostly just actor’s names in neon lights. But yeesh, this looks…not great. Look, The Big Lebowski is a lot of fun, and I enjoyed Turturro’s supporting part as Jesus Quintana. But does that character need his own spin-off? Especially when you remember that in The Big Lebowski, he’s supposed to be a pedophile? Maybe they’re going to completely ignore that here (I sure hope so).

In The Jesus Rolls, “Hours after being released from prison, Jesus Quintana (John Turturro) pairs up with fellow misfits Petey (Bobby Cannavale) and Marie (Audrey Tautou), and embarks on a freewheeling joyride of petty crime and romance.” The film is meant to be a remake of the 1974 French film Going Places, in which “Two whimsical, aimless thugs harass and assault women, steal, murder, and alternately charm, fight, or sprint their way out of trouble.”

The Jesus Rolls stars John Turturro, Bobby Cannavale, Susan Sarandon, Jon Hamm, Audrey Tautou, Pete Davidson, and Christopher Walken, and that’s a pretty impressive cast. Still, I feel uneasy about this entire thing. It doesn’t help that the movie has apparently been sitting around for four years. But maybe it’ll all turn out fine in the end. The Jesus Rolls opens February 28, 2020. Check out two posters below, neither of which are particularly great.