Update: Variety report that Paz Vega (also of I’m So Excited) will star as the ex-wife of The Jesuit‘s protagonist. The original story can be read below.
The man who’s (even partially) responsible for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, and The Last Temptation of Christ — among others, for God’s sake — will always, always have my respect. That being said, my affection for Paul Schrader couldn’t help but get a deep laceration upon viewing the trailer for The Canyons, something which not only resembles the worst consequence of what Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino managed to pull off in Grindhouse, but also has a slew of bad credits under its own name.
It may only be (another) bump in Schrader‘s road, however, especially when something else of interest lies right around the corner. Deadline report that his screenplay The Jesuit was acquired to be directed by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa and star José María Yazpik (Pedro Almodóvar‘s I’m So Excited) as a wrongfully imprisoned man (known as “The Jesuit”) who must avenge the death of his wife and find his kidnapped child. Helping him out is a woman (Shannyn Sossamon) posing as his wife during the (likely) violent journey; the extent of her involvement remains unclear.
Okay, not a lot about the first summary leaves a huge impression, save for the very involvement of Paul Schrader alone. That, too, doesn’t carry the same kind of weight from years ago, but, again: When someone has that sort of history behind them, it would be unfair to just ignore The Jesuit and go about with the rest of my day. Hopefully, some more information can get me positive about another film with Schrader‘s name on it.
What are your thoughts on The Jesuit? Does its screenwriter help out?