One of the very few films remaining in 2012 that I can say I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing… Warner Bros will release Cloud Atlas on October 26.
The adaptation of David Mitchell’s epic labrynth of a novel co-directed by Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski, stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Keith David, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Wishaw, James D’Arcy and Zhou Xun.
"Audiences who have seen an early screening of Cloud Atlas have been elated by its powerful and inspiring story, as well as its breathtaking visuals. An October release in North America is the perfect window to showcase this epic film," said the WB's president of domestic distribution last month.
And I'll bet its release is perfectly timed for Awards consderation.
The film has already sold to the following territories, so S&A readers in these countries should have an opportunity to eventually see the film: the U.K., France, Spain, Australia, Japan, Germany, Austria, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, S. Korea Korea, Taiwan, Russia and Eastern Europe.
With October really just about 4 months away, I expect we'll be getting our first look via a teaser/trailer for Cloud Atlas shortly – if not by the end of this week, with official images (like the one bove, released this morning) from the film now in circulation.
Some interesting tidbits about the upcoming, highly anticipated film, from a profile in the New York Times…
The performers, meanwhile, shift between jarringly different roles. “The biggest change for me as an actor is to have two different film units and two different film crews and to go between the two from one day to the next,” Ms. Berry said in a phone conversation. She described playing “a Jewish woman in the 1930s” for the third director, Tom Tykwer, then becoming “an old tribal woman” for the Wachowski siblings the next day, and losing track of fellow cast members amid the layers of makeup and costumes. “Some days I go into the trailer, I’ll be having a conversation — I won’t even know it’s with Hugh Grant until five minutes in,” Ms. Berry said.
You'll recall that, as already noted in past posts, the novel spans centuries and locations, “from Melvillean high-seas drama to California noir and dystopian fantasy.“ And also worth noting is that the core group of starring actors will play multiple roles across all the different storylines, periods and locations, which might make the film even more of a challenge to watch, but a good challenge.
Another interesting piece from the NY Times profile reads…
The Wachowskis are notorious for their secrecy, but they showed six minutes of footage at the American Film Market in Santa Monica last fall. “It looks phantasmagorical,” said Victor Loewy, a seasoned international film distributor who bid on the United Kingdom rights after watching the clip. “It’s so unlike anything I’ve seen in 40 years in this business.”
Well hot-damn! Big words… big words… I'm guessing the 6-minute footage screening wasn't open to the public.
Thus far, still very little has been revealed about what the film will look, sound and feel like, given the breadth and scope of the original literary work it's based on.
The above image, courtesy of EW, is a look at one of the storylines in the film – a sci-fi story of a man (Tom Hanks) who meets an emissary from an advanced civilization (Halle Berry).
Stay tuned…
