(Picture: NETFLIX)
It’s fair to say that Duncan Jones has had a mixed bag with the critics when it comes to his cinematic work, but he’s always managed to keep the sci-fi and fantasy community on his good side (for the most part, anyway).
Even if you didn’t like World of Warcraft, a tonne of Blizzard fans actually did. Anyway, when was the last time you went on a raid Azeroth?
That said, David Bowie’s son is heading back to the world of science fiction as his long-awaited film, Mute, has been given a premiere date on Netflix.
The futuristic thriller will be hitting screens of every size on 23 February, the British director announced yesterday.
Taking to his Twitter account, Duncan revealed the premiere date with a slice of wry humour, tweeting: ‘So here we are. @mute. Starring Alex Skarsgård, Justin Theroux & Paul Rudd. Out on Netflix February 23. Got there in the end!’
The ‘got there in the end’ part refers to the fact that although Duncan made his major cinematic debut as a writer and director with the critically acclaimed Moon in 2009, Mute was in fact his first script and pitch.
The movie dates back to a first script in 2003, meaning that Mute has been 15 years in the making.
Not one to keep his following out of the loop, Duncan told the Twitter-sphere the backstory behind the film and its arduous transition from his brain to the big screen – noting ‘everything was against Mute ever being made’.
Posting a picture of a draft for the script, the director added that Sam Rockwell was a big fan of the early draft, but wanted a part that Jones would eventually give to Alexander Skarsgård, and with that he started writing his breakout feature film Moon for Sam.
So some of you may be aware that I have previously called @Mute my “Don Quixote.” I did this, as much like Terry Gillian’s fabled film of that name, it seemed everything was against Mute ever being made. In fact, here’s an early draft… from 2003! pic.twitter.com/wW3VwfLRRR
— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) January 19, 2018
He explained: ‘It was going to be my first film. I sent it to Sam Rockwell who loved it! …but he wanted to play Leo, the part that would later go to Alex Skarsgård. I wouldn’t budge but was so enamoured with Sam, I decided to write something just for him. That was Moon.’
Mute takes place in a near-future Berlin, which is very reminiscent of the LA show in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.
More: Netflix
Alexander Skarsgård plays a mute bartender named Leo, who is in love with a beautiful woman named Naadirah (Saleh). When Naadirah vanishes, Leo must descend into the Berlin underworld in order to find her.
There he encounters a pair of oddball American surgeons (Justin Theroux and Paul Rudd) who may hold the only clues to Naadirah’s whereabouts.
Mute premieres on Netflix on 23 February.
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