The phrase “new Ben Wheatley movie” is more than enough to
grab my attention. So, as I wait for the British director’s Free Fire to drop early next month, I can’t help but look towards
Freakshift. It recently cast Alicia Vikander in the lead,
which is great and all, but Wheatley just dropped the best single-line
description I’ve ever heard.
Word around the campfire was the upcoming movie is about
cops in a custom armored vehicle who respond to 911 calls after monsters come
out of the ground. That alone is fantastic. But talking about
Freakshift with The Independent, the Kill List and High-Rise helmer added, “It’s about women
with shotguns fighting giant crabs.”
Yeah, I’m sold. 100%. 1000%. However much I can possibly buy
in, that’s how much I’m buying in. Wheatley added, “There you go, it sells
itself,” and it certainly does. I’m even more on board than I was just a few
moments before reading this.
I’m not sure I could possibly want more from a movie than
women with shotguns battling giant crabs. That sounds perfect. I’d watch that no
matter who was involved, but the fact that Ben Wheatley’s at the helm means we’re
in for all manner of twisted, genre-busting madness, and that warms the cockles
of my cold, dead heart. I’m also psyched beyond belief to see what the iconoclastic
director does working with a creature feature. That’ll be a total blast.
Written by Wheatley and his wife/writing and producing
partner Amy Jump, Freakshift has been in the works for years—he
talked about it at least as far back as 2012, and even before if I’m not
mistaken. But with Alicia Vikander coming off of her Oscar win and a role as
the lead in the new Tomb Raider franchise, things are
finally rolling.
Production is reportedly slated to start in August, so don’t
be surprised if Wheatley, who works at a breakneck pace, manages to turn this
around and have Freakshift ready to go for one of the fall
film festivals in 2018. Free Fire played at the Toronto International
Film Festival last year, so TIFF seems like a reasonable landing spot.
In the meantime, we’ll have to satisfy ourselves by watching
Free Fire when it opens on April 21.
No comments:
Post a Comment