Say hello to Benjamin Walker because, even though he may not be a household name just yet, he’s certainly well on his way. The actor who featured in small roles in films like “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Kinsey” got a major career boost, snagging the lead in Timur Bekmambetov‘s forthcoming “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” launching him onto the Hollywood radar. He was among the many early candidates for “The Bourne Legacy,” and while he won’t be flexing his muscle in that franchise, it’s not a big deal, because he’s just bagged a major tentpole.
Alex Proyas has found his Michael to star opposite Bradley Cooper‘s Lucifer in the upcoming epic, “Paradise Lost.” And yes, it’s an adaptation of Milton‘s 17th century classic poem that will turn the blank verse work about the fall of man through the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan himself into a (likely) 3D spectacle with tons of special effects and battles and shit. And in some bizarre way, Proyas feels he is honoring the work by turning it into a blockbuster spectacle.
“I’ve sometimes thought that only an insane person would want to make this movie, because it’s visually audacious and has to live up to a classic poem that is so beloved,” Proyas told Deadline. “I don’t think the visuals could have been done justice until now, which is the great fun of being a film director in this modern age of visual effects.” He goes on to stress that “the characters are what’s most important” while also saying the film will boast major battle sequences in Heaven, Hell and Eden. Sunday School is going to get way more awesome.
The extensive digital effects will mean the film will spend 20 weeks in pre-production, eight weeks in principal photography and will have 72 weeks of post-production. Proyas is already Down Under getting work started, with shooting to begin in January and the film set to be released in late 2013.