Last week, we were relieved to hear that Doug Liman‘s long-gestating Untitled Moon project was still on track since there hadn’t been a peep in what seemed like years. Liman himself recently told us and others that the film is one of two films he is currently “aggressively pursuing” (the other is “All You Need Is Kill,” which no, hasn’t gone out with an offer to Ryan Gosling because it’s still in development).
But our big question remained, was Jake Gyllenhaal attached or had the actor’s attachment intent expired? We put the question to Liman and he said Gyllenhaal was still onboard. “Yeah, he is [still part of it]. People are talking awards for him in ‘Love & Other Drugs’,” Liman told The Playlist. Well, that answers that. Hopefully, they’ll be some movement on it soon as it’s been in the works for several years now (and Liman already done a time travel-ish film in “Jumper,” so maybe the time travel action flick ‘Kill’ can wait a beat).
Known for moving between popcorn fare and serious films — like his current real-life based political drama, “Fair Game” starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn in the story about scapegoated CIA agent Valerie Plame — we also had to ask Liman about his gestating “Attica” project based on the infamous prison riots that occurred in Attica, New York in 1971.
While still actively in the works, it sounds like its incubation progress is still ongoing. It’s also a project with deep personal meaning for Liman; his father was famous NY attorney Arthur L. Liman who served as counsel for the New York state investigation into the notorious incident.
“Attica is a longer term process,” Liman explained. ” ‘Fair Game’ took me into territory that I was familiar with and brought me closer to my father. I was undergoing the same journey my father underwent twenty years ago, in that, we both were looking into an abusive power by a secretive White House and sharing a story with the American people. But ‘Attica’ takes me a step further cause I’ll actually be telling the exact same story my father told cause I’m using his report as the foundation for the film.”
That report blamed prison conditions and state officials for the violence, and Liman’s said his father’s legacy — known of his representation of those underserved or underrepresented in civil and criminal law — looms heavy on him.
“Anyone who had a father who is larger than life and then lost them, maybe just anyone who has a father, but I only know my own experience of this larger than life father who was not only an inspiration to me, but so many people. I could have not asked for a better role model so I’m leading my own life, but I’m trying to learn from his example.”
“Fair Game,” currently in limited release right now, moves into expanded release this Friday, November 12 and then goes wide on November 19. More from this interview focusing on the making of “Fair Game,” later this week.
