Long before he docked onto the project that would become “Prometheus,” screenwriter Jon Spaihts made waves with his 2007 Black List script “Passengers.” It was all thanks to Keanu Reeves, who had read Spaihts’ script “Shadow 19,” and then hired him to pen what became “Passengers.” He loved the material so much he agreed to star and produce, and back in 2010, Gabriele Muccino (“The Pursuit of Happyness,” “Seven Pounds“) signed on to direct…and nothing happened… Well, not entirely. “Passengers” got Spaihts the attention of Ridley Scott and the rest is history, but now his breakthrough script is coming back to life.
“Game Of Thrones” and “Boardwalk Empire” helmer Brian Kirk has signed on to direct the movie, which will still star Reeves. The story focuses on a passenger on a spaceship making a centuries-long journey to another planet, who is woken up, accidentally and irreversibly, by a computer glitch, 90 years too early. Faced with the prospect of living the rest of his life, and dying, alone on the ship, he decides to wake up a beautiful fellow passenger. Interesting stuff to be sure, and something that sounds pretty refreshing, and certainly if Reeves has stuck with it this long, he’s got some strong faith in it.
Kirk is an interesting choice, but he’s been itching to prove himself on the big screen. He was considered for “Thor: The Dark World,” and has been lining up a number of projects including the forever developing “Paper Wings,” the Guillermo Del Toro produced “Midnight Delivery,” the Robert Ludlum adaptation/remake “The Osterman Weekend” and the remake of the Icelandic thriller “Jar City.” So no word on where this might fit in, but it’s going to Cannes next month where buyers can scope it out, and if it picks up interesting and sales, we could be seeing it sooner rather than later. [Deadline]