We’re just a few years shy of the 70th anniversary of Danny Kaye‘s “The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty,” and while some might deem it sacrilege to even attempt to remake the classic fantasy, some would argue the story is due for a contemporary makeover. One of those people would be Ben Stiller, who directs and stars in this holiday season’s big blockbuster, and Fox is beginning to show a little bit more of what they have in store for audiences.
A handful of new images, teasers really, have emerged over at Empire though they also focus on Stiller, with none of the hugely talented supporting cast — Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn, Sean Penn — yet to to be seen. But the ambitions of this movie are very, very high. Early footage has seen the movie, about a Life magazine photographer pursuing a girl through his daydreams, compared to “Forrest Gump,” “The Apartment” and “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and even more, there is talk it will be geared up for an Oscar campaign as well.
“This version is more different than similar to the original,” Stiller said, noting he’d be asked years ago star in a different incarnation of the remake. “That’s what appealed. The 2005 version was just an updated version that wasn’t a musical. All it was ever going to be was ‘not as good as the original’. We were aiming for something indefinable, a movie that left you with a feeling at the end. I’ve never made a movie like that, and it’s a really hard target to hit. It’s hard to put into words.”
It’s certainly one of the more intriguing question marks left on the 2013 calendar. “The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty” opens on Christmas Day.
Want to know why this film has been in post for so long? Stiller's been "directing" from Hawaii, throwing out completed vfx work, taking month long holidays… It'll be surprising if he meets the Christmas Day deadline
Why is no one talking about the trailer that debuted for this before Wolverine?