Sci-fi and fantasy films are generating plenty of attention at Sundance and beyond. To start, Deadline reports that Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films — the production company behind Lone Survivor and Escape Plan — have agreed to finance Vice, an action thriller starring Bruce Willis. Written by Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore, the film takes place in a futuristic city in which humans can “enact their most perverse fantasies onto androids” at a resort known as Vice; the organization becomes threatened, however, when one android becomes self-aware and escapes. Willis will play the resort owner, Julian, while Ambyr Childers (The Master, 2 Guns) will play the rogue android. The concept seems similar to Surrogates, a previous Willis vehicle that dealt with humans using robots, but Vice certainly comes off as more lurid. Shooting begins on March 15th.
Surprisingly, The Dark Tower also has an update. Development on Ron Howard’s epic Stephen King adaptation has gone on since forever, but it looks as though the Rush director isn’t ready to give up on the project just yet. While promoting his film Hellion at Sundance, Aaron Paul revealed that he might play Eddie Dean, a companion of the the gunslinger Roland Deschain. Paul stated that he had “a lot of meetings” with Howard, and that they still plan on doing “three films, but also have a television element to it” – the last detail makes sense, considering that Dark Tower was, at one time, headed to HBO as a mini-series. If he’s hired, and if Dark Tower actually gets off the ground, the series could mean big things for the Breaking Bad actor. (/Film)
Some interesting news about the Alice in Wonderland sequel has also surfaced, as Variety report that Sacha Baron Cohen has entered early negotiations to star in Disney’s Through the Looking Glass (formerly known as Into the Looking Glass). If hired, he’ll join Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska, who are reprising their original roles for the film, with director James Bobin (The Muppets) stepping in for Tim Burton. Further details are scant, but rumor has it that Baron Cohen will play the villain. The film will begin shooting later this year, and is slated for release on May 27, 2016.
On an unrelated note, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe will also embark on a new project — only, unlike much of his previous titles, this one falls outside the typically defined “genre” realm. According to Variety, the actor — who recently portrayed young Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings — will play a “brilliant but inexperienced engineer” in the historical drama Brooklyn Bridge. Written and directed by Douglas McGrath (Emma), the film follows Washington Roebling (Radcliffe), who takes over the construction of the iconic bridge after his father dies. When the burden becomes too much to bear, he finds an ally in his “charming and shrewd wife Emily.” No word yet on who will play Emily, but casting announcements aren’t far off. The film will begin shooting in August.
What do you think of the new developments? Do any of them make you especially excited?