"Atlas Shrugged" Movie

[AMERICONORMAN]

Great! Now we can get Kiera Knightley to do it.

[K-Mac]

I think Carrie-Anne Moss (Matrix and Chocolat) would make the perfect Dagny. She's not traditionally beautiful, but the longer you look at her, the more beautiful she becomes, and she looks intelligent. Perfect Dagny.

[Mimpy]

I think Jennifer Connelly would make a beautiful Dagny. And I would not mind seeing Ralph Fiennes playing Rearden!

[Zip]

Hmmmm, what about Nathan Fillion as Reardon? Really not a fan of Fiennes.

[Tenure]

Hmmmm, what about Nathan Fillion as Reardon? Really not a fan of Fiennes.

Rearden is a very serious man in my mind, and I don't see Fillion playing Rearden, simply because his characters, such as in Firefly and Waitress, are basically played the same: as a boyish man. The thing with Rearden, is that he actually lacks that boyishness - he is unable to appreciate the full joy of life, due to his philosophy of life not being fully integrated so that, for example, he carries the sacrifice of looking after his ungrateful family, or he sees his relationship with Dagny as nothing more than pitiful, animal lust.

I think Fiennes would be much more suitable an actor in that sense. And hey, I'm all for diversity, and for the best actor playing the role, so that, if Fillion can do Rearden, then I'm happy. It's just that, in Hollywood, I don't think they really audition for the big roles like this - instead, the best fitting actors, based on previous performance, are merely bidded for. Then again, with Galt beign played by an unknown, according to the Director, who knows? We could have a pretty refreshing cast, leading to a film not simply limited by the fitting, yet completely satisfying actor playing the part of so-and so, but instead we could have actually, really good actors, who whilst relatively unknown, do the part a hundred times more justice!

Personally, I think Brad Pitt is a poor choice for Galt. I know, I know, he has great range and can do some bizarre stuff - but that's just the thing. Bizarre is Pitt's niche. He could play a deadpan mad-scientist creating Ninja Attack Zombies in his underground laboratory - I don't think he could play something that requires a more serious and deep edge to him, one that isn't just zany or crazy or out there, but one which emulates the highest in man.

Now, I'd love to see Troy Bolton play the Nurse-Maid, or whatever that character was called, the one sent by the government to work at Rearden's mills, because, although it's just fitting the role to him, and not him into the role, he's insignificant-enough a character for it not to matter. Same with Phillip Rearden or with Orren Boyle.

That said, based on looks and past experience alone, I would pick Will Smith as John Galt, Romain Duris as Hank Rearden (watch that trailer in the link there, you can't miss him, he's the main character ) and Ellen Page as the young-Dagny in Flashbacks; I'm not sure who I'd pick for Francisco and actual Dagny.

Edited March 9, 2008 by Tenure

[AMERICONORMAN]

Great! Now we can get Kiera Knightley to do it.

What goes around comes around ...

I also like Jennifer Garner and Affleck as Wyatt.

If the movie takes another five to ten years, then there's someone just starting who would be good as D'Anconia, would be Emile Hirsch. His latest role Into the Wild is too existentialist for my liking, an aborted Thoreau. His first role that brought him into the spotlight fo me was Alpha Dog. There he played a little pretentious scoundrel. If you look back though, Matt Damon played something similar in School Ties and look all the great roles he's played. I could see Matt as Rearden. Which brings me to Cole Hauser (Good Will Hunting and School Ties) who I think would make a good Roark, but he's getting old, but though he's still pretty now he has now become rugged. So maybe even Prince Harry. Back to Atlas ... I still want Hopkins as Hugh Akston. And if Justin Timberlake turns out to be a good actor then it would be very pleasing to see him as Galt, especially in that underground chase scene with Dagny.

Edited March 10, 2008 by AMERICONORMAN

[Miles White]

I think Sean Bean could capture the role of Hank Rearden very well.

[AMERICONORMAN]

I saw Kiera Knightly in Silk last night. Overall it was a pleasing movie. I like the way it turns out. In it Kiera is quite fragile, seemingly submissive, very generous, but it seems weak. It is not Dagny. However, she played a part of Dagny in Pirates of the Carribean, that aspect of Dagny which could be a sufficient playmate for a boy like Francisco. And yet in the role she plays in Silk I can see her lying on the couch resting on Rearden after it is clear that they will not be together and yet they need each other in the world they live in. Now we just need to see her as in Industialist, with that passionate vision and committed intelligence, with that seeming masculine roar inside her.

[Dr. Radiaki]

Jason Isaacs as Galt, I think.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1647220736/nm0005042

His role in the Harry Potter movies show he can play the evil confidence thing to a tee, so we just need to remove the evil bit.

[Miles White]

I think Jason Isaacs would probably play a better Dr. Ferris.

[Tenure]

Listen to that Jason Isaacs guy talking about what attracts him to roles:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=geQMTzE99rY

Sounds quite promising. Plus, he's a Brit!

[JMartins]

Ciarán Hinds, the actor most commonly known for his role as Gaius Julius Caesar in the TV-series Rome, who more recently appeared in There Will Be Blood, would be my first pick for an objectivist character such as John Galt or Hank Rearden. Everything about this man's appearance screams objectivism, to me.

He's also appeared together with Angelina Jolie, in Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.

Watching him act is a true delight -- he's a master of his art.

Here, you can see him as Caesar, delivering a speech to one of his legions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PeN1k9AAMg...feature=related

[Zip]

JMartins, perhaps a Midas Mulligan but not my idea of Galt.

[Miles White]

Michael Caine as Judge Narragensett.

Edited March 20, 2008 by Miles White

[AMERICONORMAN]

Michael Caine as Judge Narragensett.

How about Lou Diamond Phillips?

[robertochahin]

Sad news, I think.

According to IMDB, Randall Wallace is writting the Screenplay for Atlas Shrugged.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908824/

The bad part is that Mr. Wallace is a "devout Christian who almost earned an MDiv from Duke Divinity School, says his faith strongly informs his filmmaking", according to Christianity Today.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/in...allwallace.html

A mystic writting the screenplay?

[Guruite]

I honestly do not know how reliable the IMDB is... Jamie Clay is still listed (as of now) as John Galt - as is Brad Pitt (rumored). Angelina Jolie is now (Rumored) to play Dagny Taggart. It certianly would be an interesting movie if one minute John Galt was Pitt and in another he was Clay.

Edited April 10, 2008 by Guruite

[Mimpy]

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=...=all&p=.htm

Interview with the director of the movie.

[WarIs4Profit]

the guy who played Aragorn would be good as Ragnar, his name escapes me.

it's too bad that they can't cast Rodney Dangerfield as Orren Boyle.

I think Harrison Ford would make a perfect Rearden, he has the composure of a man with the world on his shoulders. (at least he did in AF1)

[tps_fan]

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=...=all&p=.htm

Interview with the director of the movie.

Thanks, Mimpy! That was a great interview. I expected great questions from Scott Holleran (as per usual), but Perelman gave very good answers as well. Perelman's reference to _Atlas Shrugged_ as being too "mechanical" and the characters being too tied to AR almost made me wince. Aside from that, I more or less found myself in agreement with much of what the director had to say. This actually makes me considerably more enthusiastic about the film. I still have considerable doubts about the overall quality of the film, but I suppose that (in the hands of a less capable director) the film could end up being much worse.

All things considered....

We'll see.....

[D'kian]

Another related piece from Scott Holleran, an interview with the vice chairman at Lion's Gate Films:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=2487&p=.htm

The guy's not entirely lost. But he attends church, believes in God and thinks altruism sounds like a good system but it doesn't work.

[Drew1776]

http://www.theatlasphere.com/columns/08022...ugged-movie.php

Feb 25th, 2008

SP: Is the story set in the 1950s, in the time when the book was released?

Aglialoro: It will be set in modern-day America. And it will be in color. The budget is $70 million.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=...=all&p=.htm

Apr 16th, 2008

Box Office Mojo: Is the story set in the past, the present or the future?

Vadim Perelman: It will look very similar to the Forties, as if America had not gone into World War Two after the Depression. Things are falling apart. Visually, it's going to be amazing.

...okay guys which is it?

[Steve D'Ippolito]

...okay guys which is it?

I always had the impression that the setting of Atlas Shrugged felt like the result of the New Deal and Depression just dragging on, and on, and on... No World War II. The idea of boom/bust economy was just not there--it was one long bust, getting worse for reasons made plain in the book.

...Anyhow, this whole question of when the movie will be set is an interesting one. Much of the novel's actual storyline depends on trains being the primary cross-country mode of transportation, and of course today that's simply not true. Dozens of passengers dying in the Tunnel Disaster? Not going to happen today. I'm not sure there is a way of "updating" the storyline of Atlas Shrugged, without essentially re-doing the plot. Perhaps Taggart Transcontinental becomes Taggart Software, and the Tunnel Disaster is replaced by a release of defective software where the bug ends up killing people? Or maybe Taggart Transcontinental becomes an airline? But no, that won't work because Taggart Transcontinental also carries freight and a lot of that is criticial to the storyline too (e.g., the diversion of trains to carry soybeans instead of the Minnesota wheat harvest). Granted ALL of these things are concretes used to illustrate the principles; the point is that those specific concretes do not make sense in an early 21st century setting. Setting the movie in the present day risks having to rewrite the story line, and there would be a *huge* risk of throwing out the principle baby with the concrete bathwater.

So let's set the movie in the 1950s, but obviously not the 1950s we see in our history books. And possibly confuse the heck out of the audience, most of whom will be under 55 years old, and give them something they cannot relate to.

Interesting dilemma and I would love to know what they are planning to do.

(Note: I am implying here that the plotline and setting of AS are dated. This should NOT be taken as me implying that the IDEAS of AS are dated! (Well, actually they are dated sometime in the future, but leave that aside.))

Edited May 9, 2008 by Steve D'Ippolito

[A New Intellectual]

John Galt's speech will need to be done and done well. I think something like this,

Section 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=W_qQt9IrUc0

Section 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wpo3OoyUUUc&watch_response

Section 3-4: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8V-kTeWozXQ&watch_response

Section 5: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sKYX_o-g-b0&watch_response

Section 6: http://youtube.com/watch?v=c-ajrwka2RE&watch_response

Section 7: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jyJJC-J2g7A&watch_response

Section 8: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QOd42r7szQY&watch_response

Section 9: http://youtube.com/watch?v=16N_76mlsMk&watch_response

Section 10: http://youtube.com/watch?v=s-4oehFZI-k&watch_response

Section 11: http://youtube.com/watch?v=4FWKaFrQ4f4&watch_response

Section 12: http://youtube.com/watch?v=I03sQzS-pM8&feature=related

Section 13: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UkSXqFUtKD4&feature=user

Section 14: http://youtube.com/watch?v=sxMeLEoPa_o&feature=related

Section 15: In progress

That to me would be what I would like to watch, not just that small segment but all 15. It's a perfect blend of relevant imagery, and the speech. The images help link the deep concepts behind the words. Some imagery would have to be toned down but....

[JMartins]

The director Vadim Perelman quits Atlas Shrugged. On hold again, it appears.

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/19/brea...ugs-off-atlas-/