By J Blakeson, the bald guy in the photo and director of the critically appreciated but lesser-seen British thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed, is negotiating with Warner Bros to direct Jonah Nolan’s screenplay Hell And Gone. The story is set during the Great Chicago Fire and is an historical romantic tragedy that even from here smells more than a little like James Cameron’s soppy misfire Titanic.
Although studio Warner Bros will no doubt be rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of drawing in even a fraction of Cameron’s audience, the creative team behind the film seem at first glance an unusual fit. Blakeson’s Alice Creed was low-budget and unflinching in its aggression, hardly the attributes that might traditionally be looked for in the director of an epic historical romance. His other writing work doesn’t exactly clarify his selection either, with The Descent: Part 2 his only previously produced full-length screenplay and one that did not turn into an especially well-received film. He did however co-write
Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy
. Heaven knows what that has to do with anything, but it has Brian Blessed in it and a puppy on the poster, so…
J Blakeson, the bald guy in the photo and director of the critically appreciated but lesser-seen British thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed, is negotiating with Warner Bros to direct Jonah Nolan's screenplay Hell And Gone. The story is set during the Great Chicago Fire and is an historical romantic tragedy that even from here smells more than a little like James Cameron's soppy misfire Titanic.
Although studio Warner Bros will no doubt be rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of drawing in even a fraction of Cameron's audience, the creative team behind the film seem at first glance an unusual fit. Blakeson's Alice Creed was low-budget and unflinching in its aggression, hardly the attributes that might traditionally be looked for in the director of an epic historical romance. His other writing work doesn't exactly clarify his selection either, with The Descent: Part 2 his only previously produced full-length screenplay and one that did not turn into an especially well-received film. He did however co-write Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy. Heaven knows what that has to do with anything, but it has Brian Blessed in it and a puppy on the poster, so surely must be brilliant. Jonah Nolan, brother of Bat-scribe Christopher, has collaborated in the writing of two of his sibling's screenplays (Dark Knight and The Prestige) and is presently working on The Dark Knight Rises. Even if his body of work has shown no more talent for romance than Blakeson's, those three films should be enough to inspire filmgoers' confidence. But then again, Cameron had True Lies and Terminator 2 under his belt before springing Titanic on us…
[via Hollywood reporter]{{page_break}}
- Photo credited to Collider