The Wachowskis clearly have a thing for malleable reality. The upcoming adaptation of Cloud Atlas will not stray far from their grand, philosophical fantasy tastes that brought us The Matrix.
What’s almost as impressive as the artistic ambition being imbued into this film is its cast: stars include Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving (reteaming with the Wachowskis after V for Vendetta), Susan Sarandon, Jim Broadbent and Ben Whishaw.
The movie will connect six stories from separate time periods and locations (including 1930s Belgium, 1970s California and post-apocalyptic Hawaii) in some way that all non-Wachowskis have yet to completely understand. In fact, the novel by David Mitchell has, up until this point, been considered an implausible film adaptation. But these are The Matrix siblings. By definition, their abilities are boundless. Additionally, actors will play multiple roles (just to further muddle the confines of reality).
The Wachowskis will share the directorial role with Tom Tykwer, most famous for The International and Run, Lola, Run, which is legitimately one of the greatest movies ever made. So, if anyone is going to film the unfilmable, this is a pretty good team to attempt it.
Mid-September will see the shooting begin — although, the more one invests in this film, the less attached to the normative concept of time one gradually becomes. So, it should start shooting anywhere in the Victorian Era/Renaissance/2950s/Bronze Age/summer 1991.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
