When he brought Frontiere(s) to the Toronto Fest, Hitman director Xavier Gens talked briefly about his next film, which would see a pair of men shipwrecked on an island of cannibals. Not a stretch for him at all, so no big surprise there.
But Bloody Disgusting is reporting now that Philip Seymour Hoffman and Viggo Mortensen are in talks to play the pair of leading (eating?) men. If that’s accurate and the talks are fruitful the film, Vanikoro, could ratchet way up into the ‘must see’ realm.
Synopsis: The French
explorer La Perouse, was wrecked on Vanikoro in 1788. The ship Boussole
was destroyed on a reef along with most of the crew. The second ship
Astrolabe was also wrecked, but survivors salvaged enough to build a
small ship and sailed away. Two survivors remained on the island into
the early 1800’s.
Not that I doubt B-D, but if there wasn’t a strike on, leading projects to stall and flounder, I’d never buy this for a second. The story sounds like one to attract both actors if this was, for instance, directed by David Mamet as a follow-up to The Edge.
Setting aside the need to eat, I have no idea what either actor takes as primary criteria for choosing a role, but I can’t imagine either of Gens’ current films persuading anyone to do much but take two big steps back from the deal on the table.