@prodweek
Angelina Jolie mentioned
to direct an adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts novel SHANTARAM,
with Joel Edgerton attached to star.
7:33 PM - 14 Jan 13
Thoughts
While Roberts' story sounds compelling, it has distinct similarities to
Unbroken which she is already committed to directing and which she fought hard to get. I can't see her doing two films in a row about men who are imprisoned and tortured and who later find peace and salvation. Plus it will require filming in India and after all the challenges they faced filming
A Mighty Heart there, I don't think they're in any hurry to return.
Shantaram's IMDb page probably has outdated info but it currently has Johnny Depp's
Infinitum Nihil, Brad's
Plan B and
Graham King's GK Films-precursor
IEG as production companies. The film has a script from
Eric Roth (Cleopatra) and has King and Depp listed among its producers. It's an impressive group with obviously strong ties to Angelina so while I am skeptical that she'll be directing the film, I can't dismiss the news outright. Additionally,
Unbroken's script apparently still needs work since Angelina will still "oversee" a final draft while
Shantaram has a Roth script and a star already attached.
Shantaram was originally acquired by Warner Bros. and set up at the studio for Johnny Depp
to star with Peter Weir attached to direct. After Weir dropped out in 2006,
Warner still hoped to get production started in 2007 before the writers'
strike. The studio subsequently put it in turnaround in 2008. There
is no word on whether it has been picked up by another studio but
Paramount's Brad Grey, a former partner in Plan B, is also one of the
producers.
What's interesting is the novel on which the film is based has a potential co-starring or supporting role that fits Angelina rather well -- the enigmatic Karla who is a "beautiful Swiss-American woman with
sea-green eyes." She is "elusive, dangerous... and whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a
terrible power."
I was disappointed when Angelina passed on the role of Malkina in
The Counselor last year as it seemed like the perfect role for her. But the role of Karla is a more than worthy replacement and
Shantaram is probably a better story since many who read Cormack McCarthy's script were underwhelmed.
Roberts' semi-autobiographical novel weaves a remarkable story and Karla is a nicely complex character. Since Angelina won't be playing the lead, it won't require too much of her time and the filmmakers involved are close friends which should make things a bit of fun. Part of the story is set in Afghanistan which may additionally spur her interest as she recently wrote a script about the country.
It was Johnny Depp who first brought
Shantaram to Warner Bros.' attention with the intent of playing the lead, but it appears he has dropped out and Joel Edgerton has been chosen to replace him. It's actually better casting since Edgerton is an Aussie like Roberts and seems better suited to the material. But while Edgerton is a fine actor, he is not a box office draw much less a star of Depp's caliber. Getting Angelina to sign on even in a supporting role would make up for the loss of Depp's star power.
Production Weekly may be correct about discussions taking place and I can see Graham King wanting her to take this on but it's difficult for her to add it to her plate after being hired to direct
Unbroken. She can, however, come on as a co-star. Ironically, I think her interest may hinge on who they sign as the film's director. Danny Boyle is on obvious candidate since he knows the area and he seems to be available.
On a side note, I glanced at Production Weekly's latest listing and it seems there's some movement on
West with the Night which Angelina is also reportedly attached to. If
Gertrude Bell with Ridley Scott doesn't materialize, that could be her early 20th C biopic.
- Fussy
From Production Weekly
“SHANTARAM” Feature Film 08-21-08
INFINITUM NIHIL
8428 Melrose Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90069
PHONE: 323-651-2034
STATUS: Active Development
PRODUCER: Johnny Depp - Christi Dembrowski - Graham King DIRECTOR: Angelina Jolie WRITER: Eric Roth
CAST: Joel Edgerton - Abhishek Bachchan
GK FILMS 1540 2nd Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90401 310-315-1722
PLAN B ENTERTAINMENT 9150 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 350, Beverly Hills, CA 90212 310-275-6135 FAX: 310-275-5234
WARNER BROS. PICTURES 4000 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91522-0001 818-954-6000
Set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay, the story is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear. Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere. As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay Mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: Mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.
“WEST WITH THE NIGHT” Feature Film 08-18-11
ATLAS ENTERTAINMENT / PALUS INFIGO
9200 Sunset Blvd., 10th Fl. West Hollywood, CA 90069 salexander@atlasla.com
PHONE: 310-786-8900 FAX: 310-777-2187
STATUS: Active Development
PRODUCER: Chuck Roven - Steve Alexander - Lloyd Phillips - Barry Spikings WRITER: Mikko Alanne - Michael Thomas
CAST: Angelina Jolie
KAVA PRODUCTIONS 10202 West Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 310-244-3404
WARNER BROS. PICTURES 4000 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91522-0001 818-954-6000
The adventurous life of Beryl Markham, a courageous young woman who was raised in early 20th century Africa among the Massi and became one of the world's first female pilots. Markham was born into the upper crust of British society. She grew up in Africa, having all the privileges of her social position while at the same time assimilating the ways of the native bushmen who worked on her horse farm. She became an aviatrix who was a bush pilot to royalty and the first person to fly the Atlantic solo from west to east.
Garima Sharma, TNN Apr 22, 2011, 12.00am IST
It
was reported that Mira Nair's "Shantaram", inspired by Gregory David
Roberts' book by the same name, was shelved. Reasons included
insufficient budget, unavailability of Depp's dates and hassles in
getting the international crew here. But TOI has learnt that the film's
team is looking at resuming the shoot in June in Mumbai.
Yes, resuming, and not beginning it, says a source. And that's the best kept secret of the whole deal –
Johnny Depp and
Amitabh Bachchan had shot for 18 days in
Mumbai
towards the end of 2009, and then Depp quietly returned. Says our
source, "The team wasn't happy with how the movie was turning out, as
they were adhering strictly to the book. That's when they stopped and
decided to rework the script. It's a relatively new script now. Plus,
they are also looking at security arrangements for Johnny if he comes."
The last time Johnny came, his visit was a secret and he shot at
Maharashtra's ND Studios on the outskirts of Karjat, says our source,
adding, "Everyone has signed confidentiality documents, so obviously no
one heard anything. The sets were kept intact for the whole of last year
and have been dismantled recently, now that talks have begun again for
the movie's shoot to start. The earlier set was quite grand – they'd
even built the famous Leopold Café, where Roberts was a frequent
visitor, and where the 26/11 attacks had also happened." But if the
logistics don't work out, says the source, the team has Plan B in place.
"If the shoot doesn't materialise here, they'll reconstruct Mumbai in
the Warner Bros studio in the US, especially Colaba street."
Crime and punishment, passion and loyalty, betrayal and redemption are only a few of the ingredients in
Shantaram,
a massive, over-the-top, mostly autobiographical novel. Shantaram is
the name given Mr. Lindsay, or Linbaba, the larger-than-life hero. It
means "man of God's peace," which is what the Indian people know of Lin.
What they do not know is that prior to his arrival in Bombay he escaped
from an Australian prison where he had begun serving a 19-year
sentence. He served two years and leaped over the wall. He was
imprisoned for a string of armed robberies peformed to support his
heroin addiction, which started when his marriage fell apart and he lost
custody of his daughter. All of that is enough for several lifetimes,
but for Greg Roberts, that's only the beginning. He arrives in Bombay
with little money, an assumed name, false papers, an untellable past,
and no plans for the future. Fortunately, he meets Prabaker right away, a
sweet, smiling man who is a street guide. He takes to Lin immediately,
eventually introducing him to his home village, where they end up
living for six months. When they return to Bombay, they take up
residence in a sprawling illegal slum of 25,000 people and Linbaba
becomes the resident "doctor." With a prison knowledge of first aid and
whatever medicines he can cadge from doing trades with the local Mafia,
he sets up a practice and is regarded as heaven-sent by these poor
people who have nothing but illness, rat bites, dysentery, and anemia.
He also meets Karla, an enigmatic Swiss-American woman, with whom he
falls in love. Theirs is a complicated relationship, and Karla’s
connections are murky from the outset.
Roberts is not reluctant
to wax poetic; in fact, some of his prose is downright embarrassing.
Throughought the novel, however, all 944 pages of it, every single
sentence rings true. He is a tough guy with a tender heart, one capable
of what is judged criminal behavior, but a basically decent, intelligent
man who would never intentionally hurt anyone, especially anyone he
knew. He is a magnet for trouble, a soldier of fortune, a picaresque
hero: the rascal who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. His story
is irresistible. Stay tuned for the prequel and the sequel.
--Valerie Ryan
From Publishers Weekly
At the start of this massive, thrillingly undomesticated
potboiler, a young Australian man bearing a false New Zealand passport
that gives his name as "Lindsay" flies to Bombay some time in the early
'80s. On his first day there, Lindsay meets the two people who will
largely influence his fate in the city. One is a young tour guide,
Prabaker, whose gifts include a large smile and an unstoppably joyful
heart. Through Prabaker, Lindsay learns Marathi (a language not often
spoken by gora, or foreigners), gets to know village India and settles,
for a time, in a vast shantytown, operating an illicit free clinic. The
second person he meets is Karla, a beautiful Swiss-American woman with
sea-green eyes and a circle of expatriate friends. Lin's love for
Karla—and her mysterious inability to love in return—gives the book its
central tension. "Linbaba's" life in the slum abruptly ends when he is
arrested without charge and thrown into the hell of Arthur Road Prison.
Upon his release, he moves from the slum and begins laundering money and
forging passports for one of the heads of the Bombay mafia, guru/sage
Abdel Khader Khan. Eventually, he follows Khader as an improbable
guerrilla in the war against the Russians in Afghanistan. There he
learns about Karla's connection to Khader and discovers who set him up
for arrest. Roberts, who wrote the first drafts of the novel in prison,
has poured everything he knows into this book and it shows. It has a
heartfelt, cinemascope feel. If there are occasional passages that would
make the very angels of purple prose weep, there are also images,
plots, characters, philosophical dialogues and mysteries that more than
compensate for the novel's flaws. A sensational read, it might well
reproduce its bestselling success in Australia here.
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