Alfonso Cuaron making 3D space thriller with Robert Downey Jr: yes please
Alfonso Cuaron making 3D space thriller with Robert Downey Jr: yes please
Mar 17
Mexican movie virtuoso Alfonso Cuaron has lined up his next project: Gravity, a thriller set on a remote space station. Originally Angelina Jolie was in talks to play the lead role (as well that character’s daughter, or something), which would have guaranteed Cuaron the moolah he’d need to pull off what sounds like an effects-heavy studio job; when Jolie pulled out, the financial future of the project seemed doubtful. But now we hear (from slashfilm) that none other than Hollywood hot potato Robert Downey, Jr. is on board to replace Jolie. Fans of cinema rejoice!
For those who haven’t seen Cuaron’s Children Of Men, do yourself a favour and rectify that gross oversight. Even if you don’t dig the politics and social sci-fi trappings of the film, you can at least appreciate the white-knuckle action scenes, the electric performances and the uniqueness of the shooting style. If you haven’t seen Children, though, Cuaron directed the third (and best) of the Harry Potter flicks, and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the one where the quality of the performances suddenly improved dramatically over the previous entries. For a Potter film, Prisoner was pretty dark, with moody, classical cinematography and a few neat visual motifs sprinkled throughout.
Anyway, my faith in Alfonso Cuaron is pretty solid, so I’m not even annoyed that Gravity is going to be shot in 3D. Up until now I’ve been pretty sceptical of all this 3D jazz, but with folk like Martin Scorsese and Alfonso Cuaron angling to shoot their small, character-driven films in the format, it’ll be a less bitter pill to swallow. I have a sneaking suspicion that Cuaron’s swooping yet restrained shooting style will come across very well in 3D, if 3D cameras allow you to swoop and move with the kind of precision and grace he’s known for. Plus Downey, Jr.’s big puppy-dog eyes in 3D will prove a major selling point for many people.
For those disappointed by Avatar (come on, I know you’re out there), maybe Gravity will prove to be the intelligent, mature sci-fi action flick in 3D we always wanted.
Gravity starts shooting in (northern hemisphere) summer 2010, wrapping before Robert Downey, Jr. is due to begin shooting Sherlock Holmes 2 in autumn.
