Casting is a tricky business, and doing it right sometimes means balancing egos, the needs of the film, the characters on the page and a host of other factors to find the right people to come together and bring a project to life. Or sometimes, it’s as simple as just getting a couple of great people together and just letting them do their thing. And that must have been what director Marion Lainé was thinking, pairing up the stars of recent arthouse favorites “Certified Copy” and “Carlos” in her next feature film.
Juliette Binoche and Edgar Ramirez will team up for the unfortunately named “A Monkey On My Shoulder,” which actually sounds much better than the title suggests. Based on the book “Remonter l’Orénoque” by Matthias Enard, the story will follow two surgeons, Javier and Mila, whose relationship is challenged by an unexpected pregnancy, a love triangle and a trip through the Amazon as alcohol and madness also come into play. So in short, there will be plenty of opportunity for Binoche and Ramirez to show off their considerable acting chops.
Filming kicks off next week and will last for nearly two months, and we presume this will hit the festival circuit sometime in the middle or latter half of 2012. Until then, you can catch Ramirez in his big Hollywood tentpole debut in “Clash Of The Titans 2” on March 30, 2012. And then you can wonder why Hollywood isn’t driving more offers to this guy, who proved with “Carlos” that he is multi-lingual, real deal, actor with talent and charisma to spare. Dude should be on more shortlists. As for Binoche, she’s a legend and we’ll essentially watch whatever she’s in, even if the results aren’t always that great. [Cineuropa]
