Ridley Scott Takes On A Brave New World
When I heard that Ridley Scott was returning to the Alien franchise earlier this week, I was excited. But when I heard another project he has signed on to direct was Aldous Huxley's futuristic sci-fi, A Brave New World, I was euphoric.
I really am stoked that Scott is returning to a genre where I think he has a special knack for. Alien and Blade Runner are two of the most recognized sci-fi films of all time, so to hear he's doing another movie in that area is a good thing.
And what a project he's chosen. Huxley's 'New World' is one of the most highly regarded dystopian works of literature. The story focuses on a world that is unified and governed by The World State. Through preconditioning society is broken up into caste systems, population is controlled and people are literally bred to do assigned jobs within their castes. Recreational sex and usage of a government issued drug called "soma" are regularly encouraged. Since women do not give birth naturally anymore, any idea or concept of family or emotional attachment is not only foreign, but frowned upon since it goes contrary to the maxim of, "Everyone belongs to everyone else".
No casting information has been given yet, but it is noted that Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, is on board with his intention on starring. Although exact details of DiCaprio's personal involvement with the film are still unclear. Scott's production label, Scott Free, will also be producing with the project set up with Universal. Farhad Safinia, who previously penned the screenplay for Apocalypto, has been brought in to write the script.
The progress of the movie is another thing that's a bit cloudy. With Appian Way and Scott Free executives meeting frequently it was rumored that the project had picked up momentum. Although people close to the project still insist it's in the development stage.
Some people might question the return of Scott to sci-fi as a bid just to get another hit, as many of his post Gladiator flicks haven't been too successful. Although a majority of them made over $100 million, a lot of them cost that much to make. However, I would also say that for now, I don't really care why he's back, I'm just happy that he is.
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