‘Blade Runner’-Inspired Berlin-Set Project ‘Mute’ One Of The Two, No Longer Attached To ‘Escape From The Deep’
With his sophomore effort “Source Code” starring Jake Gyllenhaal set as the opening night film at SXSW before hitting theaters on April 15th, Duncan Jones is evidently wasting no time, already putting the pieces together for his next feature film.
When pressed on Twitter regarding the matter, Jones noted that he is “not on the sub movie anymore” and that he is “trying hard to get one of two things made next. Mute is one of those 2.” The “sub movie” in question is, of course, “Escape From The Deep,” the Alex Kershaw novel about a WWII navy submarine which malfunctioned and sunk to the bottom of the sea that Jones was attached to during the global unveiling of “Moon.”
One project that’s definitely still in the works but is Jones’ gestating much talked about “Blade Runner“-inspired, Berlin-set sci-fi thriller, “Mute.”
Originally set to film this year in Berlin as a UK-German co-production, the film centers on the story of a woman whose disappearance causes a mystery for her partner, a mute bartender who then has to go up against the city’s gangsters including a bumbling pair of villains excitingly described by Jones himself as “what if two buddies were such good buddies but were the most diabolical bastards they possibly could be?” The film was additionally revealed to “definitely be bigger than ‘Moon’” and feature a budget of “something up to $25 million” as well as a cameo from Sam Rockwell‘s character in “Moon.”
At the time though, it was noted that the prospects of the film likely hinged on the financial success of “Moon,” so considering the fact the film drew a measly $9 million at the global box office — despite drawing overwhelming critical acclaim and the BAFTA award for first-time writer, director or producer — it’s no surprise that “Mute” didn’t come together. However, with “Source Code’ under his belt now, hopefully audiences will flock to see that and provide Jones the support for “Mute” to come to fruition.
Jones also speaks of a second, mysterious project but — as far as we can tell — is the first mention of another project linked to the director. More details are surely around the corner. [via Collider]
