Are you there Studio Gods? It’s me, Margaret.
Nico Muhly, recently of “The Reader,” has been hired by Fox Searchlight to score Kenneth Lonergan’s “Margaret.” Remember that picture? You probably don’t, because it’s been delayed for years.
While the involvement of Muhly — who also scored “Joshua,” “The Reader” and worked with Bjork and Philip Glass — this may be a sign that Fox is finally going to pull this movie, wrapped in 2005, off the shelf and ready it for some sort of release.
From Oscar-nominated writer-director Lonergan (“You Can Count On Me”), “Margaret” follows the ramifications of a tragic bus accident as seen through the eyes of a high school student desperate to parse the tragedy for a deeper spiritual meaning.
The cast includes Anna Pacquin, Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Olivia Thirlby, and was produced by names such as Scott Rudin, Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack. With all those names involved, why hasn’t this been released yet?
Early reports had pointed the finger at an unmanageable length and disastrous test screenings, with a script stretching well beyond 200 pages, but there must be something that keeps this promising film, which is said to have echoes of 9/11 survivor’s guilt, on the shelf while Steve Martin releases TWO embarrassing “Pink Panther” redos. While Fox Searchlight’s web page for “Margaret” insists that the film is set for a solid release sometime in 2007, Muhly’s involvement is the first major announcement from the production in years.