Roman Polanski, no matter what you have to say about him (and really, anything from “visionary artist” to “filthy pedophile” can apply depending on your take on things, and many of them can actually apply simultaneously), is actually a pretty ballsy individual.
Why, you ask? Well, he’s working on a new film, and he’s doing it FROM HIS JAIL CELL.
See, the guy’s currently a resident of the Swiss prison system, awaiting extradition to the United States on child molestation, but thanks to a complicated network of mail and word from his lawyers, Polanski’s actually making the final tweaks to his newest film The Ghost from prison. Most of the film has been shot already, but there are last minute things–often called “post-production” things–like the sound mix and score and suchlike that have yet to be done. Polanski’s weighing in on them by remote, effectively making him a jailhouse director.
Leave aside the politics and morality of the situation for just a second, and consider that by itself: it’s really pretty awesome that he’s finishing a movie by remote from his jail cell.
Word comes from The Hollywood Reporter that Timothy Hutton has joined Roman Polanski’s The Ghost.
The upcoming film centers on a ghostwriter – played by Ewan McGregor – who is hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan). However, he puts his life in jeopardy when he uncovers secrets.
Hutton will play the role of the prime minister’s American lawyer. James Belushi, Tom Wilkinson and Kim Catrall also star.
Shooting will begin this week.
Posted on Jan 21, 2009 under Actors, Book-to-Movie, Directors, Drama, Movie News, Movies, Thriller, Writers, casting, suspense |
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski is to direct his first contemporary thriller in more than twenty years. His new project, The Ghost, will begin shooting in Berlin in two weeks’ time, on February 4th. The movie tells the story of a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang, (played by Pierce Brosnan) who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the USA in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (played by Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book. The anonymous ghostwriter is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife, Ruth (played by Olivia Williams) and his aide (played by Kim Cattrall). Hanging over Lang is the threat of a war crimes trial and a mysterious secret from his past that threatens to jeopardize international relations. Jim Belushi, Robert Pugh and recent Golden Globe Tom Wilkinson have also joined the cast.
The Ghost is based on the novel by the same name written by best-selling author Robert Harris. It won the International Thriller Writers’ Award for best novel of 2008. Harris joined Polanski in adapting the book for the big screen.
MTV News reports that Pierce Brosnan and Nicolas Cage have joined the cast of The Ghost, an upcoming political thriller by Roman Polanski. The movie is based on the Robert Harris novel, focusing on a ghostwriter who is hired to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang. He soon uncovers details about a scandal that threatens to engulf Lang and puts himself in personal jeopardy.
Cage is playing the ghostwriter, with Brosnan acting as the Prime Minister. Shooting is set to begin in Europe this Fall.