As a nice follow on from our
Timecrimes news earlier comes the news from the day before that we're bringing you after. Fitting for a time travel related story.
According to THR, Rians Johnson's dark, violent time travel movie
Looper has gained new Chinese co financers DMG, an advertising/film production & distribution company, better known for its connection with the NBA. In return for this co-financing venture with Endgame, Johnson has cast Chinese actress Xu Qing (Farewell My Concubine) as Bruce Willis' wife. She joins the long attached Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Paul Dano and Emily Blunt who along with Willis, make-up one helluva cast. There is also a new home for the eagerly awaited sci-fi tale as the the film originally set to shoot in France, has upped sticks and moved to China for some of it's filming. CEO of DMG Dan Mintz says of the move;
Nothing against France, but thats been done. We said wed help get the film shot in China, and thats more exciting. Thats the future.
You wanna know why it's the future? Well in Beijing, there's the opportunity for imported films to enjoy a share of the box office grosses and in China they were up more than 60% in 2010 as their industry soars. Looper then is now set in a world sixty years from now China is the leading superpower and time travel has been invented.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt leads as a Looper the name of the profession of low-rent hitman who send their marks back in time to be executed. When he recognises himself as an older man (Willis) he hesitates to complete his task. Paul Dano is a fellow looper.
Xu Qing then is not the only new person on the Looper crew though. That man
Shane Carruth, writer/director/star/editor/composer of the greatest time travel film of all time,
Primer, is on board helping Johnson behind the camera with guess what, visual effects on time travel sequences. Johnson would do well to consult with Carruth on the theory as-well. Johnsons Brick was one of the more confident and original debuts of the past decade and although The Brothers Bloom didnt make anywhere near as big an impact (not really a fault of the film, in truth) when he promises to bring you a dark, violent noir tinged sci-fi original its a reason to get very excited indeed, especially with the overabundance of talent involved. Filming apparently begins next week in New Orleans. Can't we just go forward and see it now?