Danny Glover And Alec Baldwin Want To Show Old Guys Can Do Sci-Fi Too
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If Danny Glover was too old for this shit all the way back in Lethal Weapon in 1987 (fun fact, he was only 41 at the time), what does that make him now, in 2014? Too old or not, he’s apparently game for some more shit, as he has signed up, along with Alec Baldwin, to star in an upcoming sci-fi actioner called Andron.
Despite the age of these two new actors (Glover is now 68, while Baldwin is 56) the plot of Andron reportedly revolves around a group of “young men and women.” Part of me really, really hopes they just slap young folk make up on both Glover and Baldwin, I know that’s not going to happen, but it would be beyond amazing if they did.
This group of young people wake up in “a dark, claustrophobic maze” called the “black labyrinth of Andron.” I don’t know how they know that is what it is called, because they have no idea who they are or how they got there, but that sucks. Waking up is hard enough in the best of circumstances, let alone like this. They must come together and figure out how to decipher a bunch of codes and blues, “understand signals, and beat the tests in this mysterious and bizarre place.” While they’re going about the business of survival and escape, the outside world is reportedly watching this all go down, placing bets about the fate of these “contestants.”
If you read that description and immediately think of The Maze Runner, then you’re not alone, because, with some notable tweaks, that’s exactly what this sounds like. Granted, in the upcoming adaptation of James Dashner’s best-selling young adult novel the outsiders watching are more implied and not part of the foreground, there are striking similarities. There’s also shades of The Hunger Games, which sets up a harrowing, deadly event for the entertainment of the masses.
It’s possible that, if done well, Andron could provide a commentary of the spectacle of reality TV and show a world where the public tendency to want more and more shocking exhibitions is taken to extremes. Then again, this could very easily exploitation level fare, which also has its own set of charms. Given the cast and the players involved, I’d wager this is going to be the latter.
With this plot description, it’s easy to imagine that Glover and Baldwin will play some of the outsiders, either those wagering on the action or those who are in charge of staging it (this also sounds like the WWE film The Condemned, which itself is an update of The Running Man). The supporting players, most likely the young participants, include Michelle Ryan (East Enders), Jon Kortajarena (A Single Man), Gale Harold (Queer as Folk), Leo Howard (Conan the Barbarian), and someone named Skin, who is apparently the lead singer of a band called Skunk Anansie. I don’t know either.
First time writer/director Franceso Cinquemani handled the script and will take the helm, while AMBI Pictures Group will handle the production and financial side. AMBI co-owner Andrea Iervolino says, “The story of Andron is enough to excite sci-fi fans worldwide but when you add actors like Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover, the meter rises even higher and audiences expect something very special, which is what we plan to deliver…We’re very excited to add this film to our production slate and eager to get to work on a film we believe has great breakout potential.
Cameras are scheduled to start rolling later this month in Malta and Italy. That sounds like a rough gig. We’ll let you know as soon as we know anything more.
