Based upon David Mitchell's 2004 novel, which won loads of plaudits upon release, is getting the big screen treatment, courtesy of The Wachowski Brothers AND acclaimed German director Tom Tykwer!! Cloud Atlas looks set to be a massive epic for adults, and it has a BIG, MASSIVE cast too!!
It's a story of 6 parts, beginning in 1850, with The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing, and moves through different times and locations, to Belgium in 1931 with Letters from Zedelghem and San Francisco in the 1970's with Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery, it moves to England in the early 2000's with The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish, then to a dystopian Korea with An Orison of Sonmi~451 and finally a post-apocalyptic Hawaii with Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After. Each part is a story read by a character in the part that follows, with the exception of the last one.
I haven't read it yet, but it looks to be an epic story, (the film is costing $100 million), but how the Wachowski's and Tykwer are going to do each segment is anyone's guess, plus it hasn't been revealed who is directing what. But, it looks like the Wachowski's could redeem themselves with this one after the lacklustre Matrix sequels and the madness of Speed Racer, I'm guessing they'll be involved with the futuristic bits. Tykwer has done some very good films like Run Lola Run (1998) and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006). But, filming started in September this year with filming being done in Germany, Spain and Scotland!! They were spotted in Glasgow, which is doubling for San Francisco!! :-o But, it also has an amazing cast, with Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, James D'Arcy, Ben Whishaw and Hugh Grant!!
Halle Berry was spotted on set in Glasgow as San Francisco, while Tom Hanks was spotted in Majorca filming!!
While Hugh Grant was spotted looking unrecognisable in Germany!!
Anyone think this looks good?? It has a big cast, and three directors, one great German director and two brothers, (well, one is allegedly a sister now.) But, Tom Hanks says it'll be a beast of a film!! If it has his backing and support, that's good. It's a different kind of epic, it's an anthology of stories, and it's a while since there's been a good anthology film, although all the stories are connected. It's due for release next Autumn, and it looks like it'll be 3 hours long as well!! More as it comes!!
