Ethan Hawke is a Drone Pilot in Trailer for Andrew Niccol's 'Good Kill'

The state of military warfare has changed a lot over the last few years, and Andrew Niccol is keeping a close watch on all of it. A few years ago he gave us Lord of War, a great film that starred Nicolas Cage as an unscrupulous arms dealer. But now it's not so much about guns as it is about drones, and Niccol is exploring the moral complexities behind them in his new film, Good Kill.

The first trailer for Good Kill has arrived and, at least from my perspective, it seems to be simplifying the issue a bit too much. "War is now a first-person shooter" says Bruce Greenwood at one point, and while that may be true in a sense it's hardly plain-spoken fact. Ethan Hawke plays a former Air Force pilot who now pilots drones, killing his targets from miles away using a computer a screen. Wielding that kind of power over life and death begins to take a toll on him and his family life, and soon he begins to question the purpose of the mission.

Also starring January Jones and Zoe Kravitz, Good Kill has yet to gain a release date. 


Good Kill : Bande annonce [Ethan Hawke, 2015] by FilmsActu

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First Clip and Poster for Andrew Niccol's 'Good Kill' Starring Ethan Hawke

We just saw a story about the progression of a Top Gun sequel, a film which the way we look at military warfare in the 1980s. Fighter pilots were cool, hot shots who bagged chicks and rained down terror on their enemies from above. Well, that's not how things are anymore. Today it's all about drone warfare with people who hardly resemble soldiers in an air-conditioned room fighting war in the same way we play video games. And that detachment from experiencing war's true horror has begun to be chronicled by Hollywood, with Andrew Niccol's Good Kill one that recently made some noise at Venice and TIFF.

Niccol reteams with Ethan Hawke (Gattaca, Lord of War) for the drama which centers on an ex-fighter pilot who becomes a drone operator, only to question the ethics of his mission. The plot isn't too wildly different from the recent indie film, Drones (review here), but it's a hot button issue that's going to stay relevant for a long time. Along with the stylish new poster a clip has been released that gives us a glimpse at the pilot discussing with his wife (January Jones) the disturbing particulars of his new job. [Indiewire]

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Ethan Hawke and Andrew Niccol Reunite for Untitled Drone Thriller

The hot start to Andrew Niccol's career has been cold as ice for the last couple of years. His adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's The Host couldn't capitalize on the Twilight author's name, and the sci-fi flick In Time didn't have folks buying into Justin Timberlake as an action hero. So it makes sense that he'd want to hook back up with Ethan Hawke, who starred in his two most critically-acclaimed films, Gattaca and Lord of War.

Niccol will write and direct an untitled thriller, which casts Hawke as a former fighter pilot who takes a job in Las Vegas piloting weaponized drones. During the day he's taking down terrorists by remote control, and at night he returns to the suburbs and his troubled family life. He begins to question the nature of his mission and whether he's actually creating more terrorists than he's killing, a question that is getting asked more and more often today.

So there are some real life parallels going on here that should be interesting, and the pairing of Niccol and Hawke usually yields solid results. Filming is set to begin in February.[Deadline]

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1st look at Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried in Andrew Niccol's In Time

It's been six years since Andrew Niccol last went behind the camera, with the Nic Cage gun running flick, Lord of War. I actually quite like that film, but it's not what I want to see from the guy who wrote and directed Gattaca, one of the best sci-fi movies in recent memory. We used to watch it in film class it was so good.  Well now he's back to the genre that put him on the map. The ambtious sounding film is In Time, and it stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde, Alex Pettyfer, and many more of today's young stars.

The story sounds even crazier than Gattaca, but steeped in social commentary just as that was. It follows a future society where aging has been completely done away with. To stay alive, you simply need to pay. Nobody ages past 25 years old. So if you're rich, you can live forever, while the rich have to find other methods. Timberlake stars as as poor man who is accused of murder not long after inheriting a huge bank of time. He goes on the run with a hostage in tow(Seyfried) while trying to clear his name.

Sounds awesome.  The first two pics are above, and I'm hoping they're an indication that this is going to look like a futuristic version of The Fugitive.  Here's hoping for a trailer this week.  Look for In Time(formerly Im.Mortal and Now) when it hits on October 28th!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Saoirse Ronan to star in The Host, based on book by Twilight author Stephanie Meyer

Saoirse Ronan is a scary good actress. Probably one of the best we have right now regardless of age. She just recently kicked plenty of ass in Joe Wright's hit-kid flick, Hanna, and we await word on her possible involvement in The Hobbit. As if that wasn't big enough for her, she's about to jump into dual roles as part of The Host, which is based on a novel by Stephanie Meyer.

That's right, Meyer wrote other crap besides Twilight, and if you think that tepid battle between vamps and hairy Native Americans is bonkers, check out the plot for The Host, provided by Deadline...

Melanie Stryder,  is one of the last humans putting up a fight against an alien species called Souls. These parasites invade human bodies, fuse to each person's consciousness and systematically erase their personalities. Melanie is captured by the aliens and implanted by a Soul called Wanderer, something of a legend because of all of the "hosts" she has attached to on numerous planets. Wanderer's goal is to get Melanie to give up the remaining pockets of humans, but instead the alien finds Melanie to be unique in her unwillingness to surrender her consciousness. Wanderer is so overwhelmed by Melanie's memories and feelings, the alien is driven to reconnect with Melanie's old life.

Ronan will be taking on both roles of Melanie and Wanderer, which should provide a unique challenge for the actress. Meyer wrote the novel back in 2008, and when we last reported on the adaptation, Susanna White(Nanny McPhee Returns) was going to be at the helm with Andrew Niccol(Gattaca) scripting. Well that's all changed. White is out, and Niccol, who Meyer had wanted to direct all along, is now back as the lead contender for the job.


So it's more off-the-wall love stories for the teeny boppers to swoon over, only this one will be between a human and extraterrestrial. Or even more interesting, Ronan and Ronan. Meyer has said that she'd like to turn The Host into a trilogy of novels, so could this be her next big film franchise as well?

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