Last month when we chatted with director James Gray, he cautioned that the fate of his long-developing “The Lost City Of Z” depended on how things panned out at this week’s American Film Market. He already put a good foot forward, landing Benedict Cumberbatch for a starring role in the film, and hopefully this latest bit of casting can put it over the top.
Screen Daily reveals in their print issue from the floor of AFM, that Robert Pattinson is also on board the movie, that Panorama Media is financing and selling rights for as well. The movie is being produced by Brad Pitt‘s shingle Plan B (he was going to star in a previous iteration of the film before it fell apart at Paramount). The film is an adaptation of David Grann‘s book, telling the story of English soldier-turned-explorer Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, whose obsession with the Amazon and belief that an ancient civilization resided there led him on many expeditions where he narrowly escaped death. After financing eventually dried up, Fawcett self-funded one last adventure into the Amazon with his son, from which neither returned. We presume Cumberbatch will play Fawcett, and while there’s no word yet on Pattinson’s role, perhaps he’ll play the son?
As for the tone of the picture, Gray had said to us he’s aiming for the epic scale of David Lean but with a “slightly more hallucinogenic feel. Because [the protagonist] went to the jungle and sorta went mad.” So yes, fingers crossed this gets rolling in 2014.
Meanwhile, in case you were worried, Pattinson is still attached to Werner Herzog‘s “Queen Of The Desert.” Recent trade reports about the movie notably didn’t have his name among the cast of Nicole Kidman, James Franco (yes, he’s confirmed now according to Screen Daily) and Damian Lewis, but rest assured he’ll be there. And 2014 spent working with Herzog and Gray? Nicely done, RPatz.