UPDATE: This is a sad day for literature, cinema and Bradley Cooper’s future film slate. The fundamentally enthralling Paradise Lost project that was set to star the leader of the Hangover gang as one of literary history’s most fascinating characters, John Milton’s Lucifer, has been scrapped. Alex Proyas’ Paradise Lost movie is no more. And this is just two weeks after star Cooper’s announcement that shooting would begin in June.
It’s not a huge shock that the project has been thrown away. Since the beginning, delays and halts in development have plagued the production. The movie called for expensive visual effects due to its efforts with motion capture technology. Although the cast was exemplary in terms of talent, the studio’s fears that a project of this nature would not be profitable have informed the axe.
Many of us were excited for the movie. Perhaps somewhere down the road, Paradise Lost will find a new pool of players. One that will come to fruition with a glimmering cast and an artistic director. But for now, we are just stuck with the book. Which just seems so much longer now… –Variety
EARLIER: So far, in regards to Paradise Lost, all we’ve heard is some very encouraging casting news. Bradley Cooper plays Lucifer. Diego Boneta and Camilla Belle as Adam and Eve. Casey Affleck, Benjamin Walker and Djimon Honsou as three of several actors tacked on to play angels. All great news. But here’s the problem: the start of production is nowhere in sight.
A hiatus of the developments a while back caused many of us to worry that this terrific adaptation of John Milton’s epic poem might never take form. The film, which demanded a significant budget for its 3D performance-capture, Australia-based shoot, was halted indefinitely by Warner Bros. That’s never a good sign, especially for a project of such risky nature.
But star Cooper brings some good news. Indiewire reports that Cooper professes an optimism about an approaching Paradise Lost shoot: “We’re going to hopefully start in June. Everything’s going great. I mean, nothing’s done until we’re up and shooting.” So, that’s something!
Hopefully, Cooper’s words come to fruition. Paradise Lost deserves a film adaptation in this new era, when the words of Milton can be depicted vividly and imaginatively. And a cast like this one, offbeat and brimming with prize, is too good to pass up.
The film is being directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot).
Source: Indiewire
