Variety
7/26/06 - From Steph: (With big thanks to Jimena and Marie at the Murphsplace
forum for
the complete text of the article )
Cuaron's sneak peak
"Children of Men," the latest endeavor from Alfonso Cuaron, was previewed at Comic-Con on Friday with several clips. The director, who is known for his genre-jumping pics, was present at the following Q&A, which has hosted by fellow filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. Based on the novel by P.D. James, the sci-fi thriller is set in the near-future in a world where mankind has lost the ability to reproduce. Starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine, Cuaron creates a gritty, warzone in a futuristic London where bitterness and desolation takes over the better part of the population. "If you know there are no future generations, you not only don't build, but you don't maintain," stated Cuaron. "We didn't want to do a film on the future. We wanted to do one on present matters. It needed to show intimacy," continued the director. "I started writing it in 2001. A fundamental factor was 9/11. It signaled the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century." Amidst the rubble, chaos and pessimism in "The Children of Men," the pic keeps with the sci-fi theme with small signs of future society, such as high-tech ads, newer cars and gadgets galore. "We had to create a future with elements that wouldn't be alien to the audience," Cuaron stated. "All of the ideas are great because they are ideas of the future, but a little played down," added Del Toro. The future isn't the only prevailing theme of "Children." The film also makes a statement on issues regarding immigration. In the film, England has begun shipping illegal aliens to camps and prisons in an effort to better control the tumultuous population. "One of the big themes of the 21st century is immigration and it's the main theme of the film," said Cuaron. "By the way, I do have my green card on me," quipped Del Toro. In the film, Owen plays a former activist Theo Faron, a man pulled back into old habits in an effort to protect the last pregnant woman on Earth and mankind's only hope. "Clive is becoming an important leading man. When they suggested him, I was thrilled," stated the director. "Clive understood the character not as a superhero, but as a regular Joe. A man who wants a second chance." Lending a hand to Owen's character is Moore, who plays his ex-wife-turned-freedom fighter, and Caine as Jasper, a confident who appears to embrace the '60s more than the future. "We wrote the role thinking of him. He felt comfortable with the whole thing. He had his own ideas on the character, like an older John Lennon," says Cuaron. "After makeup and hair, he looked in the mirror and changed his body language. His wife entered the room and asked, 'Where is my husband?' He then said, 'I love this.'" "Children of Men" will preem at the Venice Film Festival in August and is set for release on Sept. 29, 2006. |
Variety
-- Owen having U's children
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