Casting rumors on big franchise films are a dime a dozen. With the state of Hollywood and the film industry as it stands in 2018, there are so many big-budget blockbuster franchises with projects in development, it’s so damn hard to keep track of who’s starring in what film, and if they’ll have superpowers or not. Well, adding to the confusion is none other than the acclaimed filmmaker (and actor, in his own right) Werner Herzog. Coming off a recent Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his latest doc, “Meeting Gorbachev,” the filmmaker dropped a juicy tidbit with IndieWire — he just wrapped up filming a role in a franchise film!
The only problem is we don’t know which one.
In the interview, Herzog said that he would soon act in “a big franchise film, about which I’m not supposed to say anything.” He continued, “ I can only say the title. The code name is ‘Huckleberry.’ For god’s sake, that’s only a cover.”
For those not familiar with Herzog’s acting career, it’s varied and eclectic, to say the least. Recently, he’s appeared in TV series such as “Rick and Morty” and “Parks and Rec.” Before then, he had a role in the Tom Cruise action film, “Jack Reacher.” One glance at his acting filmography and you can see that Herzog is no stranger to tackling new adventures in front of the camera.
Herzog said, “I have been in acting roles since the early ‘70s in German and Australian films. Everything that has to do with cinema, I’m in love with — acting, writing, directing, editing, you name it.”
So that leaves us with the original question — what franchise is getting a jolt of Herzog goodness?
READ MORE: Toronto International Film Festival: 22 Most Anticipated Movies
The only hints that the filmmaker gave are that he shot over the summer and the working title is “Huckleberry.” When we think of the films shooting this summer, some big ones come to mind. Chris Hemsworth’s “Men in Black,” Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” WB’s “Wonder Woman 1984,” and Dwayne Johnson’s “Jungle Cruise,” just to name several. However, IndieWire does allude to one film that is probably correct, given the working title and the connection to Herzog. (SEE UPDATE BELOW)
“Top Gun: Maverick” is shooting now, and stars Tom Cruise (who worked with Herzog on “Jack Reacher”) and Val Kilmer, who despite the role of his career in “Real Genius” (I’ll defend that statement to my dying day), is best known for uttering the words “I’m your huckleberry” in “Tombstone.” So, if we had to bet, put all your money on Herzog being around some fighter jets.
That being said, the interview has some more mysterious goodies and hints, as well. The filmmaker also dropped the bombshell that he recently was in Japan filming a project in Japanese. “Everything was an interesting challenge there,” he said. “I had a very good translator. I would craft the dialogue in a way that a situation was very precisely described to the actors — find your own way into the dialogue, but it has to hit certain marks. It has to be precise because I have consequences for the following story.”
Apparently, Herzog used more DIY methods for the film, using lightweight cameras that allowed him to film scenes in crowds filled with unknowing participants. In addition to those projects, the actor-director-writer also was filming for his upcoming BBC documentary about his friend, and writer, Bruce Chatwin.
Long story short, Werner Herzog had a busier summer than most people and will no doubt make you feel like you accomplished nothing over the last three months.
UPDATE: Could our guess of “Spider-Man: Far From Home” be accurate? Hmmm…
Granted, this is far from confirmed, and most definitely probably a rumor (at best), but this is from Twitter:
hi! where are they filming, L.A.?
— olv (@olv) September 11, 2018
The fittings are at Marvel studios.
— Redd ? (@mmflood) September 11, 2018
Check out all our coverage from the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival here.