Costner’s loss may be Mortensen’s gain
Kevin Costner needs a hit like deodorant needs an under-arm. Not that he realizes it.
Had an interesting chat with someone today (she is someone who should know!) about the long-awaited “The Holy Road”, the follow-up to book/film “Dances with Wolves”, which Costner hit the big time with in 1990.
Seems the film, which again fixes on the character Costner played in the original, is progressing nicely. Just one hiccup, really : Um, Costner doesn’t want to do it.
Yeah, I said the same thing. “What!?, is he crazy?! He’ll do rubbish like Dragonfly and Mr. Brooks, but he won’t reprise his best role?”.
So, he’s out.
Director Simon Wincer (“The Man From Snowy River”, “Free Willy”) is on the search for a new ‘Dances with Wolves’ and the name we’ve heard that’s the favourite to play the role right now is Viggo Mortensen. If Mortensen can stand pulling himself away from David Cronenberg for a couple of months, the role might do him so good. I think he’d be rather super in it, too.
The producers seem to be treating this as a direct sequel to the original film so we can assume they’ll be going after Graham Greene, Mary Mc Donnell and Wes Studi to reprise their roles from the film. Strongly doubt they’ll, like Costner, knock an offer back.
“The Holy Road”, which is on target to film sometime in 2009, picks up eleven years later, with ‘Dances with Wolves’ married to Stands With Fist – they have kiddies, too – and the white man encroaching further on the lives of the Sioux as they build a railway, the titular ‘Holy Road’.
I’d say it’s safe to say some subtitles are in order.
