While I would have loved for Kristen to have starred in a Stanley Kubrick film, because he has long passed, one of the next best directors I would definitely want her to work under would have to be Cronenberg.
As the Hollywood Reporter article mentioned about Crimes of the Future being the first film he will direct based on an original screenplay of his since eXistenZ, this is an excellent example of the kind of director and screenwriter he is capable of being. Many would consider this film to be one of the greatest, if not greatest film ever made about virtual reality. Interestingly, I believe Cronenberg's science fiction masterpiece would have been even more popular hadn't The Matrix been released just three weeks prior, stealing most of eXistenZ' thunder, even though while similar, the two VR films both excel in their own ways.
Viggo, who had previously been in Cronenberg's A History of Violence and Eastern Promises, calls the project, "a strange film noir story," where something called, "Accelerated Evolution Syndrome" is occurring.
Hmm, that "strange film noir story" sure seems right up Kristen's alley.
Mortensen was also cast in A Dangerous Method, which makes it 4 times where he has collaborated with Cronenberg. That means only Robert A. Silverman has collaborated with David more times (6 total), well at least regarding actors, as he used 2-time Best Music, Original Score Oscar wining composer Howard Shore, a total of 16 times, if you include Shore being the composer for Crimes of the Future. Shore as you probably know is known primarily for composing the soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Cronenberg also collaborated with cinematographer Peter Sushitzky 11 times and cinematographer Mark Irwin 6 times.
Kristen had yet to star in a film involving the topic of transhumanism before this news and low and behold, Crimes of the Future happens to be that movie. The screenplay I'm nearing completion on involves elements of posthumanism and virtual reality, so this is indeed a welcome surprise, although I must add, my original story will turn a lot of things not just regarding transhumanism, but pertaining to the vast majority of topics discussed in any sci-fi film ever released, on its head.
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CKid (3842)
4 years ago
I definitely thought about you and your screenplay when I first read about Crimes of the Future, LL.
And as for Viggo's "a strange film noir story" quote, I also thought of Kristen in that New York Times Dying Lover 360 short ...
https://youtu.be/n3h777FDQwA (don't forget to use the arrows in the upper left while watching this)
Finally, I thought about Equals and its 'Switched On Syndrome,' as that was the closest thing I could think of to CotF's 'Accelerated Evolution Syndrome.' Granted, those are two completely different things, but Equals is the only film I could think of that Kristen had previously done where the story takes place sometime in the not-so-distant-future with characters that are affected by a reality that does not exist in our current world.
I must add that while I liked Equals, I certainly hope that Crimes of the Future will be a better, more involving film.
I wonder what role Kristen will play.
Does she have this Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, or is she one of the unaffected ones who fight against it.
I guess I'll have to be patient, as time will definitely tell.
EDIT: OK, I have decided that Kristen should be one of those who has Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, and the way the syndrome manifests itself with her character is that the 'Guernica' tattoo on Kristen's right arm comes alive, showing the horrors of what occurred there. I think that would be an interesting take on the concept, especially if the tattoo begins to expand to show the entire painting.
Oh yeah, I have to add that I just bought The Dead Zone (1983) on DVD from Amazon.
This was always one of my favorite films from a Stephen King story, as well as being one of David Cronenberg's earlier films.
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LLOwens (983)
4 years ago
EDIT: OK, I have decided that Kristen should be one of those who has Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, and the way the syndrome manifests itself with her character is that the 'Guernica' tattoo on Kristen's right arm comes alive, showing the horrors of what occurred there. I think that would be an interesting take on the concept, especially if the tattoo begins to expand to show the entire painting.
Guernica is widely considered the most powerful anti-war painting in history and universally regarded as a symbol of protest. Apropos that some dub it the Mona Lisa of our time as mankind is in a perpetual state of war and brutality.
Ironic, as Picasso himself claimed to be apolitical and that he considered art as a lie that makes us realize truth. When Kristen was still a teenager, she stated something similar about acting. So because it's open to subjective interpretation, one could consider the lightbulb at the center of Kristen's tattoo as possibly representing the eye of God or the 20th Century technology which led to the destruction of the city of Guernica.
The various characters in the painting can be interpreted as either victims of the tragedies of war or the very cause of it--namely the bull which many draw an allegorical comparison to the onslaught of Fascism--the Fascist oligarchs are definitely flexing their muscles nowadays--clearly showing Guernica is just as relevant today or even more so than it was back in 1937.
I'm definitely 100 percent with you on this one, Carved, as the aforementioned are recurring themes in the screenplay I wrote. Perhaps I need to find a clever way of sneaking Picasso's painting into the storyline--or perhaps I'll simply make reference to the tattoo on Kristen's right forearm.
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