Featured Articles
Follow UsRSS 
Subscribe to our RSS Feed RSS
Follow us on Twitter
Popular Articles
Latest NewsRSS 
Sundance 2010 Twitter Tron Legacy Facebook Flynn's Comic-Con TIFF BitGravity

John Cameron Mitchell Updates 'Rabbit Hole' Adaptation

May 19, 2009
Source: ScreenDaily
by Alex Billington

John Cameron Mitchell

If you're a fan of either Nicole Kidman or Aaron Eckhart or John Cameron Mitchell, then you're probably familiar with the film Rabbit Hole. Otherwise, it's just another project in development that you won't care about until it has a trailer or shows at a festival. I would say the same, but then writer/director John Cameron Mitchell recently talked with ScreenDaily (via The Playlist) about working on the film. Rabbit Hole is an adaptation of David Lindsay-Abaire's stage play and the script, also written by Lindsay-Abaire, completely moved Mitchell. "I was incredibly moved, I was laughing throughout, I felt healed by it."

"It truly is the first script that knocked me back, drew me in, made me want to set aside what I was working on because I felt so much reading the film," Mitchell admits. The drama is about a happily married couple that is disrupted by an unexpected tragedy surrounding their young daughter and the emotional journey they must undertake to regain happiness (that actually sounds like Lars von Trier's Antichrist, although I'm sure this won't be as crazy as that). "Events that are just hinted at in the play are suddenly seen and I see them as vitally important," Mitchell says in regards to working on the script with Lindsay-Abaire.

Although the story is quite tragic, apparently it does include some humor and "the characters [are] incredibly charismatic." So don't exactly expect to leave the theater with only a sense of sorrow. "There's nothing wallowing or dirge-like in this story. It really sings to me like a beautiful melancholy - shot through with joy - kind of song," Mitchell said. It's actually great hearing him talk so passionately about this. It's just further proof that he is the perfect one to direct this. To extend that further, Mitchell also lost a younger brother at a similar age to that of the child in the story. Head over to ScreenDaily for more.

Fox Searchlight is developing Rabbit Hole, with production set to start in June this year in New York. We'll keep you updated on its development and shoot. It's very likely this will premiere at Sundance next year.

Discover More: Indies, Movie News

 • StumbleUpon

Related Articles

Reader Feedback - 2 Comments »

1

This is a great play and feels like he's describing it. I find Kidman almost mechanical and hard to connect with, which disappoints me that she was cast is this role that 200 other actresses would be better suited for. I hope I'm wrong.

b on May 19, 2009

2

Nicole Kidman was not cast in the role, it is her who is actually bringing the play to the screen. It is her production company that is putting it together. First Showing should get their news right. Kidman's production company is based at Fox but Fox Searchlight has nothing to do with the production of this movie, Kidman's Blossom, Odd Lot Entertainment and Olympus Pictures are bringing it to the screen.

As for whether Kidman can play the role, she is one of the few psychologically astute actresses we have, this is not a "performance" role even if it is, she will play it with aplomb, it is a role that needs to creep under the skin and no one does that better than Kidman. She won't pander to the audience to make them feel better. I applaud her for getting the rights to the play, setting it up for 2 years, getting the author to adapt it for the screen.

If you don't like her then don't go see it.

Anon on May 19, 2009

Leave a Comment