Inside the Casting of Sleepers for Its 4K UHD Release

Directed by Barry Levinson and released in the mid-1990s, Sleepers is a based-on-a-true-story crime drama that assembled an ensemble including Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. Set over a 20-year span from the 1960s to the 1980s, the film follows a group of young boys sent to a juvenile center after a prank goes wrong.

There they endure severe mental, physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of guards, and the second half of the film follows the men after their release and the revenge they take on their torturers. A featurette included with the upcoming 4K UHD release focuses on the casting process.

Levinson says casting began with the older actors, which allowed a search for young counterparts; the creative team then encouraged both groups to get to know one another so child and adult performances aligned and the standout portrayals in the film emerged. The physical release arrives on April 21.

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