A Scanner Darkly

[MacGuffin]

Foursome Joins Reeves in A Scanner Darkly
Source: Variety

Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Rory Cochran will join Keanu Reeves in A Scanner Darkly, the Warner Independent Pictures drama that Richard Linklater will direct from his scripted adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel.

Variety says the actors will film the scenes as if this were a traditional live action undertaking, but then Linklater will turn the footage into animation, much as he did with Waking Life.

The story concerns an undercover drug officer (Reeves) in the future who becomes addicted and develops a split personality.

[The Silver Bullet]

I wonder if there's any particular reasoning behind its being animated?

[Pubrick]

I wonder if there's any particular reasoning behind its being animated?

hav u read the book?

there are parts in it which would benefit from the freedom animation allows. the suit/mask that the dude wears that distorts his image and voice would hav to be CGI'd anyway if it were live action. not to mention the transcendent moments, the weird morphing moments, other spoilerful things too.

i'm really liking link's approach.

[El Duderino]

i'm really liking link's approach.

me too, i'm really excited for this

[SoNowThen]

Does anyone else find it a little strange that filmmakers have decided the man of the future will be in the model of Keanu Reeves?


Johnny Mnemonic
Matrix
now this

[El Duderino]

you forgot bill and ted

[Shaggy]

Erik Davis consults on A Scanner Darkly!

Boing Boing pal Erik Davis sends us this exclusive bit of insider insight into the Hollywood adaptation of Philip K. Dick's surreal SF novel "A Scanner Darkly":

"This spring, I had the opportunity to read and consult on Richard Linklater's screenplay for Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly, which is set to start filming this July. As I love many of Linklater's films, this was a great honor, although much less funny than the New Yorker's description of me as a "Dick expert." Expert or no, I can tell you that I have every reason to believe that Linklater's film will be what Dickheads everywhere have been waiting for: the first "real" "authentic" PKD movie. While the film updates the historical vibe from paranoid 70s to paranoid 00s, the script is dark and tart, funny and faithful. Nearly all the dialogue is drawn from the novel, and the few changes sharpen Dick's themes rather than squelch them. Linklater has kept the story dark, and haunted by rumors of God.

As has been reported, Keanu Reaves will play Bob Arctor, the Orange County narc who goes schizo after being assigned to spy on himself. Linklater has been planning this project for years; it was Reaves' interest in the story that finally got the ball rolling. As has been already noted, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and Rory Cochrane round out the cast, though it also needs to be mentioned that these are some of the most famous druggies in Hollywood. Actually, I don't know anything about Rory's personal habits, but he sure spouted convincing cannabinoid bon mots in Dazed & Confused.

During my time at Linklater's pine-forested getaway pad outside of Austin, which features a pagoda, a huge stone tower, and many pinball machines, I got to meet the genius team whose digital rotoscoping helped make Waking Life one of the few masterpieces of the new millennium. These are definitely the guys you want to bring Bob Arctor's scramble suit to life."

[kotte]

This was Charlie Kaufmans project but they decided to let Linklater do a version instead.

[Ghostboy]

My second Linklater post of the morning concerns these pics from the set of A Scanner Darkly, notable mainly for the affirmation that all the characters look perfect, including Reeves, who seems to be in 'The Gift' mode.

[El Duderino]

the characters look perfect, including Reeves, who seems to be in 'The Gift' mode.

you're so right. everyone looks great, namely winona, and reeves is totally in "Gift" mode

[Pubrick]

nah i think his patchy facial hair looks good for a junkie like arctor, they're gonna be drawn over anyway, a shame cos winona is looking damn fine.

[The Disco Kid]

Linklater's Roto-Vision "animation" sucks. I suppose he thinks he really came up something big when he first decided to use it. Little does he know that its been around for about 100 years...And even back then it sucked.

Way to screw up a potentially very cool movie, Rich!

[matt35mm]

Linklater's Roto-Vision "animation" sucks.

Nope.

I suppose he thinks he really came up something big when he first decided to use it.

Nope.

Little does he know that its been around for about 100 years...And even back then it sucked.

Nope.

Way to screw up a potentially very cool movie, Rich!

Nah.

[Just Withnail]

Linklater's Roto-Vision "animation" sucks.

Nope.

I suppose he thinks he really came up something big when he first decided to use it.

Nope.

Little does he know that its been around for about 100 years...And even back then it sucked.

Nope.

Way to screw up a potentially very cool movie, Rich!

Nah.

Yep.

[coffeebeetle]

This looks really really cool--but for one thing: Reeves.  Why?  They could have picked somebody for the lead that can actually act!