The Philip K Dick train shows no sign of slowing down, even if it isn’t always the most profitable ride in town (sorry, Scanner Darkly). The guy’s stories remain one of Hollywood’s favorite wells to… dip into? Draw from? I’m not quite sure how to complete that cliché. But anyway, you know what I’m talking about here – Hollywood just loves Dick.
It was only a matter of time before someone realized that Dick’s life story is just as interesting and bizarre as some of his stories, but who would have thought that guy would be Matthew Wilder? I can tell that you’re confused by that name. Let me give you a hint:
Ain’t nothin’ gonna to break my stride
Nobody’s gonna slow me down, oh-no
I got to keep on movin’
Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride
I’m running and I won’t touch ground
Oh-no, I got to keep on movin’
Yes! He’s the guy who sang that 80s hit Break My Stride, and he’s directing Panasonic, an indie film about Dick. Here’s what Production Weekly says about the film: “The lines between reality and perception blur in this comic journey into the life and mind (literally!) of one of sci-fi’s most brilliant authors. Paranoid conspiracies of the highest order, drug-fueled interdimensional shifts, and 1970’s pop culture combine for the mind-bending adventure of the century.” Only one man could make that a film, and it’s the man behind a beloved reggae-inflected pop hit.
Bill Pullman certainly seems to believe in Wilder – he’s signed on to play Dick in the film. Maybe he’s impressed by the musician’s stick-to-itness. How can you not respect this man’s determination to not allow his stride to be broken, to not be slowed down – to not even be bothered with our gravity and refuse to touch the ground? Panasonic will be filming next month before an inevitable lawsuit, after which it will be titled Sampo.