So Terminator 3 was kind of a ho-hum experience. The explodey chase-fest had action and peril, but was just missing soul. U-571 was a round of old fashioned submarine paint by numbers but still delivered a satisfyingly good time. Yeah, I’m segueing into likeable Jonatan Mostow, the guy with only two major releases this decade but about five more slated for completion by 2009, including the eye brow plucking, anger management saddled Namor, The Sub-Mariner. Talk about making up for lost time.
As part of his Disney directing gig, Jonathan is making his upcoming film roster a halfbakers dozen with the announcement he’ll be directing the film adaptation of Robert Venditti’s graphic novel The Surrogates. Michael Ferris and John Brancato of T3 timeline assassination fame will write the screenplay. The project is being described as "edgy" (aren’t they always?) and will probably end up at "Edgy" (i.e.- edgy by I, Robot standards) Touchstone.
The Surrogates plays on the idea of individual isolation magnified to such an extent that in the future, people don’t interact with one another, they use artificial, remote-controlled copies of themselves to do all that tiring stuff. And you though Battlestar Galactica had it going on for hot robot sex. Naturally, someone wants to ruin that party, and thus mysteriousness and diabolical machinations ensue.
Personally, I think the whole idea of remote controlled interaction is fantastical. I mean, who would believe anyone could hunker down behind a machine and use an avatar artificial representation of themselves to engage in conversation, shopping, boot-knockin’ or fisticuffs? I’m just not buying it.