Tom Ford‘s A Single Man remains among the best directorial debuts to come in the past decade, at least in my opinion. I’ve eagerly awaited seeing whatever the fashion designer cooked up next in the director’s chair and, though his first movie came back in 2009, it was only Tony and Susan” envisioned as a two-part story-within-a-story character drama tackling familiar themes of love and violence told in a more unconventional manner. Tackling emotional turmoil in intimate manners yet again, the filmmaker already scored an astounding cast for his new movie and, while there’s bit a change-up or two behind-the-scenes, those prospects don’t look any less fulfilled.
Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal already signed on to lead the film, centered on a woman (Adams) receiving a book manuscript from her ex-husband, whom she separated with 20 years prior, asking for her opinion on what he wrote. The film then follows the unpublished story, resolving around a man (Gyllenhaal) whose family vacation takes a violent turn. The rest of the roles were undisclosed at the time, but Joaquin Phoenix‘s name was circled and Aaron Taylor-Johnson also was scouted for a role. The latter is officially on-board for the project, playing a mysterious figure posing a threat inside Gyllenhaal’s family, but Phoenix is no longer mentioned in the trades.
[amz asin=”0446582905″ size=”small”]Instead, Michael Shannon now joins Ford’s upcoming picture in the role the Irrational Man star presumably would’ve played: a detective investigating the violent incident within the manuscript’s story. Why Phoenix left is not discussed and, perhaps, it’s possible he may still come around just based on how vague character details are at the moment. It would’ve been great to see Phoenix and Adams working together again after their phenomenal work together in Her but, alas, perhaps this wasn’t meant to be the case.
Shannon’s a fantastic replacement, though, so no complaining on this end. With George Clooney and Grant Heslov signed on in producer roles and a fall production date slated with a possible Cannes release next year, this could be another exceptional film for the blooming filmmaker and it’s not hard to see that happening with the talent attached.
With assurance, Ford said in an interview he could get this entire production done, start-to-finish, within six weeks during a break in his fashion schedule, even with the extended shooting, and it doesn’t look as though his confidence is any less deterred. The estimated production start was mid-September in spring, and with the cast shaping up now, it seems this remains the case. I just want it to come sooner than later. I’m ready to see this “animal” on the pride. [Variety]
