Development hell is a cursed and abominable place, where many a film script is stuck in an indefinite hiatus, waiting for release. One such project which has been mulling around in that inferno, is High Rise. Based on J G Ballard book, High Rise “takes place in a tower block, which is supposed to be a gleaming new, exciting and exotic home for its affluent residents, but ends up isolating and factionalizing them into all-out war, with the surface sophistication degenerating to primal savagery.”
That project is finally kicking off though, and it’s got some key talent attached to it.
Ben “A field in England” Wheatley will direct the skyscraper revolution, which will star Tom Hiddleston in the lead role. Production kicks off in June, and Wheatley tweeted the following image to promote the project:
As for other details, we do know that High Rise will be set firmly in 1975, as Wheatley explained to io9:
We’ve gone back and Amy [Jump]‘s written a script that’s very close to the book. It’s set in 1975… it’s going to look like the 70s. It’s going to be very styled in that way. We’re looking at the Ridley Scott adverts of that period. It’s going to be modern in a way that the 70s looked.
Sounds like a rad project, and with Wheatley being one of the emerging directors to keep an eye on, one that I’m excited for. Now to read the damn book already.
Last Updated: February 6, 2014
Gavin Mannion
February 6, 2014 at 13:02
I was all in until it said that it was firmly rooted in 1975… not a fan of movies set in the past at all.. I see this appealing to the arthouse crowd only
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 6, 2014 at 13:34
lol @ inferno. Well played.
James Francis
February 7, 2014 at 10:59
” It’s set in 1975… it’s going to look like the 70s.”
What the fuck? High Rise is not about the 70s. It is clearly set in a near-future context. That has always been a big appeal to J.G. Ballard’s sci-fi work. If the script doesn’t understand that, then I fear the nuances of the book will be completely lost on it. High Rise is not a period piece, it is a commentary on modern society. Placing it in today’s context would make a lot more sense.