Hayden Christensen is 'Vanishing on Seventh Street'
Filed under: Drama, Horror, Independent, Casting, Newsstand
If anyone needs a second chance alongside the Bar None sock puppet dog, it's Hayden Christensen. Maybe he's a good actor, maybe he's middling, maybe he's bad (I forgot to see Jumper, and Virgin Territory still hovers in the middle of my Netflix queue), but he deserves a shot to prove himself one way or another. A good horror movie is as good a shot as any. According to The Hollywood Reporter, that's just what he's got, and will be starring in Brad Anderson's Vanishing on Seventh Street. Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo are in negotiations to join in the spookiness.Penned by Anderson and Anthony Jaswinsky, Seventh Street takes place in the ghostly shell of a once-thriving city. Living residents inexplicably vanish once they come in contact with its new shadowy residents. Five individuals fight to stay alive, dodge these eerie threats, and grapple with the meaning of existence. Christensen will play a reporter, Newton a desperate nurse, and Leguizamo a subway operator; the other two characters have yet to be cast or named. Filming will kick off mid-October in Detroit. (Cue the stories of socio-economic parellels.)
I haven't gotten to see much of Anderson's work (I'm anxiously waiting for Scott Weinberg to assign The Horror Virgin a viewing of Session 9), but he certainly can deliver the moody, shivery atmosphere. There's a dash of A Long Day's Journey Into Night in the the Seventh Street story description, and I'm fascinated with anything that might dabble into ideas of Purgatory. Blood, guts, and slashers are certainly scary, but staring into the abyss of life, death, and existence? That's the stuff of true horror.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-27-2009 @ 3:59PM
Joshua said...
he was actually good in the movie Shattered Glass... But it still doesn't make up for his stiff whiney performance in Starwars.
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8-27-2009 @ 4:23PM
anne said...
a lot of the bad acting in star wars is because of lucas. from what i've read, he was really strict with the actors and their delivery of lines, etc., which is why ewan and natalie's performances weren't all that great either.
8-27-2009 @ 4:21PM
Ant said...
Not to make excuses for Christensen but sometimes an actor is only as good as his director...
8-27-2009 @ 5:01PM
David said...
That was what I felt when I saw "Shattered Glass" -- "George Lucas must be the worst director in the world." On the other hand, Christensen hasn't chosen a prestigious followup since...
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8-27-2009 @ 11:07PM
Ian said...
I also have fond memories of "Life As a House" which was one of his earlier movies, troubled teen role and such.
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8-27-2009 @ 11:34PM
Ray said...
Don't wait for someone to tell you to see Session 9; just rent it. Trust me, you'll love it. Anderson knows how to bring the spooky atmosphere.
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8-28-2009 @ 12:21AM
david said...
Def watch him in Jumper. I was pretty shocked. He wasnt very good in starwars because the acting was either just wierd or he wasnt very good in that roll, or just wierd direction that kept him out of the loop. Either way I think he did a wonderful job in Jumper and it was overall a very cool movie.
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