Could this be the cast for Kenneth Bowser’s adaptation of Peter Biskind’s novelized chronicle about the rise of independent cinema, “Down And Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance & The Rise Of Independent Film”?
A blog evidently belonging to London-based distribution company Celsius has unveiled a cast list for the project which reports that the likes of Andy Serkis, Toby Jones, Michael Rispoli, Elias Koteas, Matthew Perry, Bobby Cannavale, Hugh Dancy and Sally Hawkins will be joining the previously announced Vincent D’Onofrio, who’ll play none other than Harvey Weinstein. That’s quite the cast.
It’s not known what role any of the new thesps will take up as of yet and, as the film will uniquely feature filmmaking techniques such as comic book inspired animation and claymation mixed with “an inventive storytelling structure,” who even knows what will end up on the screen? It’ll particularly be interesting to see how Bowser ends up bringing this to the screen as the last film to mix techniques as described here — Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s “Howl” — is not faring so well from it’s Sundance premiere.
What we do know though is that Dean Craig and Joshua James’ adapted script will, at least in part, follow Bingham Ray and Jeff Lipsky’s October Films as they are pitted against Harvey and Bob Weinstein’s Miramax in “a grueling, emotional battle over the future of independent film that had never been witnessed before.”
The narrative is described as an “energetic, obscenely funny, unique story about the mavericks who helped to create, mold, and later reinvent the modern day independent film industry,” that “fuses the characters’ drama and intensity (worthy of a Greek tragedy) and brilliantly records and satirizes independent film’s golden era and its most controversial characters.” Considering the character that is Harvey Weinstein, we have no doubt that description isn’t just exaggerated spin.
No word on when production could begin but, if the strong cast reported here is true, we’d imagine it’d make some waves if and when the project develops further. And if you haven’t read “Down & Dirty Pictures” we highly recommend it; it’s fascinating account of the 1990s indie movie landscape and is pretty much a must read for film fans.
