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EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures is in early discussions with Robert Zemeckis to direct Flight, a live-action feature that has been scripted by John Gatins. Denzel Washington is loosely attached. Zemeckis, who has focused for the last decade on directing and producing performance capture animation films, last directed a live-action film with 2000′s Cast Away. Flight has similar harrowing moments to the unforgettable airplane crash that left Tom Hanks stranded on a deserted island. The fictional tale revolves around a commercial airline pilot named Whip Whitaker. When his plane malfunctions and a crash seems imminent, he saves the day with some heroic flying and manages to land the plane with minimal casualties. He’s instantly hailed as a hero, but as an investigation into the cause of the crash unfolds, it becomes clear that he was flying under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The film is the pilot’s journey as he is encouraged to wear a hero label he thinks he doesn’t deserve, while the pilot’s union and airline try to keep the facts under cover because of the high stakes involved. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing.
Gatins, who scripted Real Steel and just signed on to script the sequel to that Hugh Jackman-starrer, had long intended to direct Flight. But Zemeckis has been looking hard at a number of scripts to mark his return to live-action directing, and Paramount became very interested in making a deal with the director. This is a situation that could happen very quickly — there is a nascent plan to begin production by late summer — or crash land because the dealmaking with Zemeckis is very pricey, and Flight is more of a modest character study than some of the director’s past hits like the Back to the Future films or Forrest Gump. It will be nice to see Zemeckis making live-action features again. Beowulf was interesting, but I always found the performance capture footage to be a bit off-putting. Audiences felt the same way in the latest Zemeckis-produced effort, Mars Needs Moms, which bombed for Disney. Stay tuned.
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Expensive?
Doesn’t Zemeckis have to spend any ‘quiet’ time in the corner for the last decade of his work?
And, the storyline of both films really only have an air incident in common. Castaway provided Tom Hanks the once in a lifetime role to be alone for most of the film on screen…and, Tom rose along with Zemeckis to make this a wonderful film with a realistic, open ending… as the story dictated.
Flight, on the other hand, has an element that will not be comforting to an already stressed out flying public. So, this better be one hell of a story…because, my initial reaction is I don’t need to see a film which lets me know that the pilot may be totally fucked up…after going through airport security and all the shit now involved with travel…and, I say this with lots of experience..
This better be outstanding for an ‘expensive’ project. Good luck to Bob and Paramount!
“time the corner for the last decade” – lol, outside of Castaway, he hasn’t made or been involved in anything remotely entertaining since Forrest Gump.
But as an Oscar-winner for Picture and Director, his career is never really over… hopefully, the flights of fancy into uncanny rejection principle-laced motion capture projects taught him something… also, Denzel brings a bright light to even mediocre fare, so this could be good.
Sort of dark version of Capt. Sully’s adventure…
who said there are no second or third chances in this town. Thought his career was on life support after MNM. always loved his live action directed features, he should stick to that & stop messing around with the stop motion. I do hope he hits a home run with this..
Wow… I have a lot of faith in Zemeckis in live action but this sounds like a huge dud.
Mel Gibson should play the pilot. He’s a veryy good actor, right age….and imagine the audience watching this pilot drinking and drugging…this will do well if Mel Gibson is the pilot.
Good to see him finally directing people who only ALMOST die than the dead people/zombies he’s been directing of late (mo-cap).
Harrison Ford, your new movie is calling…
Seriously, why can’t he make films like this? Ford was great in the 2000 Zemeckis box office hit “What Lies Beneath.” So, there’s proof that the legendary actor and Oscar-winning director work great with one another.
Nothing hurts like a lack of interest, and it’s sad to see only one comment on a post about a director like Zemeckis. The motion capture movies seemed like a filmmaker indulging an obsession with a new technology. An obsession that was not shared by audiences. He needs to reconnect with audiences and give them what they want. Not sure Flight is going to do that.
Z needs to get back on the sauce othewise he destined to be manufacturing films like Ikea furniture the rest of his career. Ie. Jon Favreau, Stephen sommers, Marc Forster.
I think this could be a great Zemeckis movie – how about Tom Hanks as the pilot? After all the Zemeckis/Hanks partnership has always been fruitful and inspired over the years… and, yes, thanks god he’s returning to live-action movies!
Wasn’t he going to do an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s “The Corrections” with Judy Dench and Brad Pitt at one point?
Miracle on the Hudson meets Leaving Las Vegas? And…why? Sounds even more depressing than being stuck on an island with a soccer ball who’s not named Reynaldo.
although his performance capture stuff only works as a cure for insomnia, he did make Back To The Future… which changed my life… b/c i bought a DeLorean.
Hey Rob has ben given a lifetime pass for doing Back to the future. The last decade he did have Cast away which was good so it’s ok. Flight will be a good film for him in this decade.