Just a week ahead of Gemini Man‘s premiere, Paramount held a global press conference at YouTube Spaces in Los Angeles. Will Smith, who stars in both lead roles, his co-star Clive Owens, Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer, and Weta visual effects supervisor Guy Williams were in attendance.
The focus of the conversation, aside from talented performances and inspirations behind the script, was made on the significance of the technology used and how it would revolutionize the experience of watching films on the big screen.
Gemini Man has been in the works for about 10 years, Bruckheimer said. It took some time for the technology to catch up with the grand vision, which was to create a digital human, a leading character in a film.
“We’ve been toying around with digital humans a lot with stuntwork,” Williams told the journalists,” but to really break this barrier what we needed was a project that supported it … [to] truly have a digital human standing in front of the camera acting and resonating with the audience and delivering the lines, and serving the story. This film was the perfect opportunity to actually be able to bring it all together.”
Smith followed Williams’ comment by clarifying: “Junior is not de-aging. It’s not my face, and they smooth out my face to make it look younger. It’s a 100 percent digital human…”
Gemini Man is an innovative action-thriller starring Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin, who is targeted and pursued by a young, skilled operative named Junior. Also starring are Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, and Benedict Wong.
Gemini Man opens in theaters on October 11, 2019.
You can check out the images from the press event below.
In a highly anticipated collaboration, acclaimed actor Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera have joined the cast of Spike Lee’s upcoming film, ‘High and Low.’ The film, described as a reimagining of the classic Akira Kurosawa thriller, also stars Denzel Washington.
Known for his roles in films like ‘Basquiat,’ ‘The Hunger Games’ series, and ‘Westworld,’ Jeffrey Wright was most recently nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in American Fiction. His ability to embody complex characters and deliver powerful performances makes him a perfect fit for this new Spike Lee joint.
The upcoming film will mark a reunion for Hadera and Washington, who co-starred in ‘The Equalizer 2.’ The Godfather of Harlem star also previously collaborated with Lee on his acclaimed Netflix series ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ based on his classic 1986 film and his movies ‘Chi-Raq’and ‘Oldboy’.
‘High and Low’ also marks the fifth collaboration between Lee and Washington, who previously worked together on ‘Mo’ Better Blues,’ ‘He Got Game,’ ‘Inside Man,’ and ‘Malcolm X.’ Washington’s performance in ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ was also released by A24.
The film is being developed and produced by A24, a production company known for its slate of thought-provoking and award-worthy films. It is described as a thriller and an English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller, which told the story of a shoe executive who was in the middle of a complex corporate takeover when his plans were derailed by the accidental kidnapping and ransom of his chauffeur’s son instead of his son.
The film will begin production this month, with a theatrical release before its global launch on Apple TV+.
Paramount+ released the trailer to ‘Becoming King,’ a documentary that chronicles the emotional and transformative journey of David Oyelowo as he took on the monumental task of portraying the legendary civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in the critically acclaimed film ‘Selma.’
Directed by Jessica Oyelowo, the actor’s wife and partner in Yoruba Saxon Productions, the documentary features behind-the-scenes footage, intimate home videos, and interviews with the cast and crew of ‘Selma.’
Seven years in the making, ‘Becoming King’ offers a close look at Oyelowo’s dedication to the historical project and its impact on his life and career. From the meticulous research that went into recreating the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches to the emotional toll the role took on the NAACP Image Award-winning actor, the doc is a deep dive into the making of a modern cinematic masterpiece.
The film is included in Paramount+’s Black Voices Collection and will launch this Monday, February 19, for Black History Month.
Sony Pictures released the official poster and trailer for the final chapter of The Equalizer, directed by Antoine Fuqua (‘Training Day’), starring Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning.
The film continues to follow former government assassin Robert McCall (Washington), who, in this installment, finds himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy. There, he discovers his new friends are controlled by local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.
The cast of the action thriller also includes David Denman (‘Brightburn’) and Italian-born actress Gaia Scodellaro (‘Promises’).
‘Equalizer 3’ marks Washington and Fanning’s first on-screen reunion since the release of ‘Man on Fire’ in 2004. The official announcement of Fanning joining the Equalizer threequel occurred last year when the co-stars attended a photocall on set in Italy.
‘The Equalizer 3’ will premiere exclusively in theaters on September 1, 2023.