gerald mcmorrow Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The upcoming futuristic thriller Franklyn will offer something for the fellas (the gorgeous Eva Green) and something for the ladies (the man-gorgeous Ryan Phillippe). The film will be set simultaneously in both contemporary London and a faith-dominated future metropolis without separation of church and state. According to Variety, the film will tell the story of "four lost souls divided by two parallel worlds on course for an explosive collision when a single bullet will decide all their fates." It's Sliding Doors meets The Matrix! Sounds mighty confusing, but I'm intrigued. The film will co-star Sam Riley, who plays Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis in Control (read James' positive review here).

First-time director Gerald McMorrow wrote the screenplay and will direct the film. According to IMDb, John Hurt is in the Franklyn cast as well, but since that's not part of the Variety announcement, take that with a grain of salt for now. The movie has undergone a lot of casting changes, it seems. Last we heard about the project, Ewan McGregor was attached to star, but it appears that is no longer the case. Paul Bettany was attached to the Riley role at one point. I don't know much about Riley, but I do know getting Phillippe for McGregor is something of a step down. Phillippe is improving, though, I must give him props for holding his own against an incredible Chris Cooper performance in the too little-seen Breach. Green is probably best known as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, but holds a special place in my pants heart for her almost entirely nude performance in The Dreamers. Dreamy.

Since the last futuristic flick with Ewan McGregor I saw was The Island, you'll have to forgive me if I have some trouble raising the proper enthusiasm for this one: Variety has announced that McGregor has now officially signed to star in the futuristic drama Franklyn. The film is the brainchild of first time director Gerald McMorrow. No other casting announcements have been made, but Double Negative F/X, who have worked on Batman Begins and World Trade Center, have been hired for visual effects. So far, McMorrow has only directed a handful of music videos but has dabbled with sci-fi in the past with his short Thespian X snagging him a TCM Classic Shorts prize in 2002. The film would parallel story lines of present day London with a futuristic theocracy, including a tragic event that creates consequences in both the present and the future.

Ewan McGregor has always been one of those actors whose easy charm on screen has helped him through some great and some not-so great parts. So, for every Renton, there was an Obi-Wan. Although to be fair, he can hardly be blamed for the nightmare that was The Phantom Menace. For the sake of Franklyn though, I hope that charm of his will be in full effect.