With production onFantastic Beasts 3pushed to the end of the year,Ezra Millerhas found himself with an open slot this summer, but instead of finally makingThe Flashmovie, he has signed on to star in the indie thrillerThe Mourner, it was announced Tuesday.
Casper Kiriya(Casshern) is set to direct from a script byRobin Shushan(AMC’sFeed the Beast), who adapted the Japanese novelItamu HitobyArata Tendo. The book was previously adapted as a Japanese-language film in 2015. Kiriya will also produce alongsideMike Marcus(You Kill Me) of Echo Lake Entertainment, and Paradigm will begin shopping the project to foreign buyers at EFM in Berlin.
The Mournerfollows a jaded homicide detective who undergoes a spiritual awakening upon meeting a mystical young man (Miller) whose calling in life is to mourn the dead who have no one else to mourn them. It’s a curious role for Miller, but then again, he’s always been a curious cat. I’m just encouraged by his return to indie cinema, as he’s a versatile performer who has been stuck playing to the cheap seats in four-quadrant tentpoles likeJustice Leagueand theFantastic Beastsmovies. He hasn’t done any serious dramatic acting since the excellentStanford Prison Experimentin 2015, which is kind of a shame, given his natural talent.
I’m also relieved that Warner Bros. isn’t rushingThe Flashinto production, because I could totally see another studio making that mistake. Clearly, the script isn’t quite ready, and directorsJohn Francis DaleyandJonathan Goldsteinhave never directed a big-budget movie with this number of visual effects shots, so they should take all the time they can to figure out what they want to do with Barry Allen and how they’re going to pull it off visually.
Kiriya recently directedLast KnightsstarringClive OwenandMorgan Freeman, and while I didn’t see that film, I did catch his directorial debutCasshernback in 2004, and that movie features an impressive amount of CGI-fueled action. I’d actually be interested in seeing what Kiriya would do with something likeThe Flashinstead of this rather-drab sounding indie movie, but I’ll withhold judgment until he finds the film’s female lead. This project is going to rest on her shoulders, no matter how good Miller is in this film.
Miller is a versatile performer who broke out in indies likeAfterschoolandCity Islandbefore landing the title role inLynne Ramsay’s dramaWe Need to Talk About Kevin. After that, he really made a name for himself inStephen Chbosky’s acclaimed coming-of-age filmThe Perks of Being a Wallflowerand played a memorable scene-stealer oppositeAmy SchumerinJudd Apatow’sTrainwreck. He’s represented by Paradigm, which also reps Kiriya. Shushan is repped by CAA. Deadline broke the news.
