John Turturro's sex farce Going Places gets rolling in New York

Will 'Big Lebowski' fans recognize a familiar character?

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Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic

Writer, director, and star John Turturro has begun principal photography on Going Places, his sexually charged dramedy inspired by the French novel Les Valseuses and its 1974 film adaptation.

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment announced Thursday that production is currently underway in New York City, with a cast including Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, Susan Sarandon, and Sonia Braga.

Taking cues from its big-screen predecessor — which starred Gérard Depardieu, Patrick Dewaere, and Miou Miou — Going Places centers on three misfits whose risqué dynamic evolves into an unlikely love story and crime caper.

Cinephiles may find the movie doubly familiar: Birth Movies Death reported Wednesday that Turturro’s film is not only a re-imagining of Valseuses but also a stealth spin-off of Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1998 bowling noir The Big Lebowski. According to the report, Turturro will reprise his Lebowski role — as the ostentatious bowler and sex offender Jesus Quintana — in Going Places.

Producers declined to comment on the specifics of Turturro’s character, but the actor has expressed interest in revisiting the man known as “the Jesus” several times before.

In the past the Coen brothers have been less enthusiastic about the notion, but it’s unclear whether they gave Turturro their blessing to make his own follow-up. Representatives for the Coens did not provide immediate comment.

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