Making the jump from one section of filmmaking to another can be more than just difficult – for some, it’s disastrous. And yet, the call of heading one’s own movie continues to drive writers, producers, and cinematographers into the director’s chair. Wally Pfister – the Academy Award-winning cinematographer behind nearly all of Christopher Nolan’s movies – is only the latest example of the trend, heading up the upcoming science fiction film Transcendence.
The potentially ambitious Transcendence has already started assembling a great cast and looks to begin full production in April of 2013. We now know exactly when the finished product will make its way to the public – just over a year after the start of said production.
Coming Soon reports that Transcendence will see widespread release on April 25th, 2014. While this does not technically place it in the summer blockbuster season, April is definitely a “ramp-up” month before larger and less risky titles start screening. The positioning indicates that Transcendence has a good deal of confidence behind it, but is probably too abstract, high-minded, or simply untested to be thrown into the feeding frenzy of the summer movie rush.
Transcendence is a “present-day science fiction film” that follows a scientist named Will (Johnny Depp), who is pursuing the creation of pure artificial intelligence. When anti-technology zealots mortally wound him, Will’s wife uploads his consciousness into the same supercomputer intended to house his AI. Now the embodiment of his own life’s work, Will and his friends must prevent the same terrorists who “killed” him from destroying the technology sustaining his consciousness.
For a production set to begin in a little over a month, there’s still much for Pfister to accomplish. The role of Will’s wife has yet to be cast – though Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Emily Blunt (All You Need Is Kill), and Rebecca Hall (The Town) have been reported to be interested. In more recent news, Paul Bettany (Iron Man 3) has been cast for an unknown role in the film. Other than Depp, Bettany is the only confirmed casting. Can Pfister gather the necessary pieces in time to meet the demand of his release date?
With the fast-approaching release in mind, it will be interesting to watch the progress of Transcendence. The movie – which has a strong lead and a compelling story – is definitely one of the more fascinating upcoming genre properties out there. Hopefully, Pfister will buck the trend and be one of the few able to successfully bridge the gap between overseeing photography and actually directing the movie’s action.
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Transcendence will appear in theaters on April 25th, 2014.
