There’s life before and after “The Lord Of The Rings” for Viggo Mortensen, and the mega-success of that franchise has allowed the actor to be tremendously selective about the roles he takes. While you might think he holds out for obvious, top tier projects like Daniel Day-Lewis, Mortensen tends to favor small projects and indie films, such as last year’s “Captain Fantastic,” for which he earned an Oscar nomination for his performance. Now, that the press cycle is done for that film, the actor has another intriguing film percolating.
Mortensen has signed up to lead “Unabomb,” which as you might guess is about the Unabomber. Penned by Randy Brown (“Trouble With The Curve,” “Miracles From Heaven“), directed by Robert Lorenz (“Trouble With The Curve”), and based on the book “Unabomber” by FBI agent Jim Freeman, Terry Turchie and Donald Max Noel (I don’t know why they don’t also call the film “Unabomber,” but maybe there’s some weird copyright issue), the film will told from Freeman’s perspective, who leads the manhunt to find the reclusive terrorist, only for things to become more dangerous the closer they get.
This movie is still some ways off, with production not starting until January 2018, which probably means a 2019 release date. But “Unabomb” is fully financed, with casting underway. [Screen Daily]