Rupert Sanders Will Direct A Sci-Fi Version Of Romeo & Juliet
This article is more than 2 years old
This past June, director Rupert Sanders delivered a dark and Gothic version of the legendary Brothers Grimm fairy tale with Snow White and the Huntsman. The film launched Sanders’ career in Hollywood, but his affair with the film’s star, Kristen Stewart, made him a household name. To capitalize on the success of both encounters, Sanders is in talks to direct the film The Juliet for Sony.
According to CinemaBlend.com, the script by Henry Bean (Basic Instinct 2, K Street) is a science fiction version of William Shakespeare’s well-known play, “Romeo & Juliet.” The script is an adaptation of Alfred Bester’s short story of the same name, and is due to start production next spring. [Bester is best known for the books The Stars My Destination and The Demolished Man, as well as for inspiring the name of Psi Cop Alfred Bester in J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5. – Ed.]
Rupert Sanders was rumored to direct the Van Helsing reboot with actor Tom Cruise a while back, but it seems that film project is lodged in development hell. So, while Van Helsing is spinning its wheels, it seems fitting for Sanders to take on The Juliet project while he’s still got plenty of “heat.”
Despite mixed reviews, Snow White and the Huntsman grossed $400 million over the 2012 summer movie season. It was Rupert Sanders’ feature directorial debut, after extensive commercial work for Nike, DirecTV, Guinness, Xbox, and Axe Body Spray. He is probably best known for his Call Of Duty – “Soldiers” commercial, which depicted civilians taking up arms in an urban warfare landscape.
There is no official release date for The Juliet, but look for it in theaters at the end of 2013 or early 2014.
Header art from Romeo + Juliet, courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.
