Why is there so much bad wolf art out there? I mean, can you walk through a flea market these days without some asshole ex-biker in moccasins trying to sell you a hand-stiched rug of a wolf dry humping a Sasquatch? I may be insensitive, but my last trip to Helen Georgia [faux German Alpine Village in the mountains] made me want to fashion a makeshift thermonuclear device out of beard shavings and matchstick flints and be done with the whole lot of artwork that looked more suited for a 70’s van than a living room.
Of course, this article is about the sequel to Dances with Wolves. How could it not be?
Simon Wincer, veteran of many westerns of varying quality, has stepped aboard the film adaptation of The Holy Road, Michael Blake’s sequel to Dances with Wolves, a book which apparently is denser and more interesting than the one which made Kevin Costner both a rich man and a person on a pedastal folks were overly amped to throw stones at.
Wincer has a lot of skill, having done Lonesome Dove, Quigley Down Under, and the recent miniseries Into the West. How his work will dovetail into Costner’s Oscar winner remains to be seen, which begs the question… who will play John Dunbar?
The logical choice is Costner, who has aged the appropriate amount to match the character in the source novel but since he isn’t directing this and is enjoying steady work (he was great in Mr. Brooks and Open Range is in some ways actually a better western than Dances with Wolves in my mind), it seems unlikely he’d return.
Then again, if he’s just acting he can devote a lot less time to it and possibly boost his awareness and the films’ by building on a remarkable performance… or cheapening it.
Either way, the film isn’t going to have the financing and wattage behind it to make it a major deal. There’s always the possibility that this could be one of those fringe movies like the Malkovich ‘Mr. Ripley’ film that was a shadow of its precedent.
My fingers are crossed for Costner to surprise us by being in it. I just don’t think Larenz Tate will make for a good John Dunbar.