See Bruce Springsteen on N.J. set of ‘Deliver Me from Nowhere’ movie with his onscreen dad

Bruce Springsteen met his new father on the set of the upcoming movie depicting his life.
English actor Stephen Graham plays Douglas “Dutch” Springsteen in “Deliver Me from Nowhere,” now filming in New Jersey.
Springsteen, 75, was on set with Graham in Rockaway Friday for scenes set in his 1950s childhood.
He hugged Graham and signed movie scripts for Graham and the crew.
Springsteen’s real father died in 1998. The Boss, who was born in Long Branch, grew up in Freehold.
Pictures from the day show Springsteen with Graham (“Gangs of New York,” “Snatch,” “This is England,” “Venom: The Last Dance”), 51, and director Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart,” “The Pale Blue Eye,” “Antlers,” “Black Mass”), 54, who is helming the biopic centered around the making of Springsteen’s acclaimed 1982 album “Nebraska.”
The 20th Century Studios movie is based on Warren Zanes’ 2023 book of the same name. Zanes was also on set with Springsteen and Cooper, as was Rockaway Mayor Tom Mulligan, who posted for photos with Springsteen.
A photographer who was on the set tells NJ Advance Media that Graham’s Dutch looked to be teaching a young Springsteen how to ride a bicycle in scenes filmed Friday. A child actor wearing a plaid shirt and jeans could be seen riding a vintage bike with training wheels.
Vintage cars lined the street. Chairs on set bore “Husker,” the code name for the production.
The movie is scheduled to be in Jersey through early 2025, with filming set for December in Asbury Park, the Meadowlands and beyond. An open call for local extras and background actors (no experience needed) went out for various filming locations in October.
Emmy-winning “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White stars as a young Springsteen.
Springsteen and his manager Jon Landau are involved with the production.
Emmy-winning “Succession” star Jeremy Strong plays Landau in the film.
Johnny Cannizzaro, who played Nick DeVito in the film adaptation of the Four Seasons musical “Jersey Boys,” is playing E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt, Springsteen’s right-hand man.
Emmy winner Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell”) is the movie’s Mike Batlan. Batlan was the guitar tech who set up the recording equipment in the bedroom of the Colts Neck house Springsteen rented while recording “Nebraska.”
Odessa Young (“The Staircase”) is playing Springsteen’s love interest in the movie, and Harrison Sloan Gilbertson (“Oppenheimer”) is playing a friend of Springsteen.
“Deliver Me from Nowhere” has also been filming in Montclair.
Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at [email protected] and followed at @AmyKup.