We lost yet another recording device yesterday at TIFF (a world of devices and cables to power them is a world of nirvana for us), but we did get a chance to talk to director Danny Boyle after a screening of his remarkable new film, “Slumdog Millionaire,” a magnetic, pulsing with energy and vibrant film about a boy from the slums of Mumbai who wins 20 million rupies on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” and its immediately assumed he’s been cheating as how could a lowly slumdog be sharp enough to win that much dough?
Told in a semi-subversive flashback that looks forward on life (as opposed to those on their deathbed that look back), the film spans the 20 year life of its protagonist Jamal Malik (played by three different actors, over the course of his life ending with Dev Patel and beginning with the astounding child actor whose names escapes us and it’s very google friendly at the moment).
We spoke to Boyle after the screening and asked him if he was pleasantly surprised or astounded to the superb reaction the film has received and yes, we lost our recorder, but yes, he basically said he was in near shock considering the subject matter. He also gave our buddies at Fox Searchlight some props and considering they just bought this and “The Wrestler,” they are having a banner year.
We asked him what he was doing next and he said an animated project. Probed a bit deeper he said it would an adaptation of a Terry Pratchett’s children book “Truckers,” which is the first part of his “Bromeliad trilogy” (which ComingSoon also noted).
He did say it would be a mix of live-action and animation and said its being set up at Dreamworks, but cautioned that you never know with these things considering the state of the film world right now financially. Maybe if ‘Slumdog’ connects with audiences he can get more pull. It’s a fantastic film that should be our your must-see list, stat. “Slumdog Millionaire” was a departure in the sense that it was one of the first Danny Boyle project he’s done in a while without writing partner Alex Garland. This film was penned by “The Full Monty” author Simon Beaufoy. You should be able to hear us at the end of the Q&A asking a question. Boyle’s such a great down to earth guy too. Really happy for his success here. He totally deserves it.
Danny Boyle And The ‘Slumdog’ Cast Before The Screening
Danny Boyle And The Truncated ‘Slumdog’ Cast After The Screening