Though no one would be mad at Ethan Hawke for taking some clear “paycheck films” at this point in his career, after starring in some of the best features of the past 30 years, the actor is clearly going down a more challenging path, as he tackles some of the most interesting projects in the industry. We saw this with his role in “First Reformed.” He continued that with his recent TV series, “The Good Lord Bird.” And now, he’s set to work on “Zeros and Ones” with one of the best filmmakers of all time.
According to Capstone Group, who will be shopping the project around to potential distributors and studios, Ethan Hawke has teamed up with legendary filmmaker, Abel Ferrara, for a new feature, “Zeros and Ones.” The film is said to be a war thriller about an American soldier under siege in Rome. Joining Hawke in the film are actors Cristina Chiriac and Phil Neilson. Both of them previously worked with Ferrara on his most recent feature, “Siberia.”
Here’s the synopsis for the new feature:
JJ (Ethan Hawke) is an American soldier stationed in a Rome under siege, locked down, and at war. The Vatican being blown into the night sky is only the beginning of our hero’s journey to uncover and defend against an unknown enemy but threatening the lives of the entire world.
“‘Zeros and Ones’ is a film of lockdown and war, danger and espionage, American soldiers, Chinese middlemen, Mid Eastern holy men, provocateurs, diplomats, rogue elements of the CIA and KGB,” said Ferrara. “I cannot wait to roll the cameras next week in a way that is safe because this film was written during and with an understanding of the pandemic.”
Hawke’s work is undeniable. In addition to his recent projects outlined above, many people know him for his roles in features such as the ‘Before’ Trilogy, “Training Day,” “Reality Bites,” “Gattaca,” and so much more. Ferrara might not have the blockbuster breakout of some of the great American filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese, but his work is incredibly influential, including features such as “Bad Lieutenant,” “Ms. 45,” and “King of New York.” Most recently, he worked with Willem Dafoe on projects such as the aforementioned “Siberia” and “Tommaso.”
There’s no timetable for when we might see production on “Zeros and Ones” begin, but as Ferrara said, this is clearly a film that he believes can be made under the pandemic protocols.