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Paul Rudd & Alexander Skarsgard Cast in Duncan Jones' Sci-Fi 'Mute'

by Alex Billington
November 3, 2015
Source: ComingSoon

It's happening! It's really, really happening. Duncan Jones is going to make his movie Mute, his passion sci-fi project, while we wait for Warcraft to hit theaters (in June 2016). Earlier in the year we posted rumors about financing and deals coming together so that it actually works out; now it's official. Duncan has started casting and they've officially announced two names for Mute - Paul Rudd and Alexander Skarsgard. Skarsgard will play Leo Beiler, a mute bartender. He goes on the search for the missing girl that means everything to him, leading him to an "odd pair of American surgeons", one of whom will be played by Rudd.

These two casting choices are a bit odd, but I trust Duncan as a filmmaker and I'm looking forward to this.

"I've been working towards making Mute for 12 years now," says Jones. "I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that we're finally going to shoot this utterly unique film. The fact that I get to make it with Alexander Skarsgard and Paul Rudd makes it all the more exciting! Mute is a film that will last. It is unlike any other science fiction being made today."

I cannot wait, and have already been waiting years, but that's how this industry works. One description calls it "science-fiction Casablanca" set in Berlin 40 years from now, a "roiling city of immigrants, where East crashes against West." The story continues: "when Leo's search takes him deeper into the city's underbelly, an odd pair of American surgeons (led by Rudd) seem to be the only recurring clue, and Leo can’t tell if they can help, or who he should fear most." I am very excited to see what kind of sci-fi Duncan Jones makes that is "unlike any other science fiction being made today". The other good news in here is that composer Clint Mansell is reteaming with Duncan for Mute as well. The two last worked together on Moon years ago. And speaking of, Sam Rockwell is also reuniting with Duncan Jones (and Mansell) for a smaller role in this.

Filming on Mute is scheduled to start in March 2016. We'll be watching for more updates from here on out.

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Reader Feedback - 18 Comments

Duncan Jones is great, not sure about these two though..

Efterklang on Nov 3, 2015

Those two are awesome

EggRoll on Nov 4, 2015

No idea what this is about. Based on the description, I'm not sure how this is Sci-fi?

EmagSamurai on Nov 4, 2015

It's a Duncan Jones movie.....there will be plenty of sci-fi.....

TheOct8pus on Nov 4, 2015

Set 40 years in the future... And the rest, is just part of the film. Sci-fi as a genre can have more to do with ideas than just setting.

Alex Billington on Nov 4, 2015

Being set in the future alone doesn't make something science fiction.

EggRoll on Nov 4, 2015

I disagree. We don't know what the future will bring, therefore we have to fictionalize it. We know (based on past experience) that technology and engineering evolves through the years, but we don't know for sure what it will be like in 40 years. Therefore it's science "fiction". The majority of classic sci-fi, such as Asimov, Arthur C Clarke and even Vonnegut deal with stories that take place in the future, which gives them license to create things that we don't have in the present.

TheOct8pus on Nov 4, 2015

I agree. There has to be a non-trivial component of the story dealing with science or technology for it be sci-fi to me. If it's just a drama set in the future, it's still just a drama.

EmagSamurai on Nov 4, 2015

....Of course sci-fi can be drama, comedy, romantic etc. etc....but a "drama" set in 2065 will have a science fictional element DUE to the fact that it takes place in 2065. There has to be a reason the author chose to set his story in the future. There has to be a plot device that justifies WHY the story takes place in 2065 regardless of what main genre the plot takes place in. A romantic comedy that takes place on a corn farm in 2065 will have (maybe just one) sci-fi element, but it'll be an important one to the plot. Children of Men comes to mind. It's a satire and war story, but certain (Orwellian) elements give it a science fiction orientation.

TheOct8pus on Nov 4, 2015

I don't necessarily agree, but that's ok. If anything it's good for me to know that I don't necessarily group movies into the same categories as Alex.

EmagSamurai on Nov 4, 2015

The beauty of sci-fi for me is that it's not necessarily a genre in and of itself. It's more of a plot device to explain certain "scientific liberties" taken. You can have detective/noir stories (Blade Runner, Minority Report), straight up horror stories (Alien, Event Horizon), adventure/comedies (Guardians of the Galaxy) or even love stories (E.T., Solaris) that can easily straddle multiple genres, but don't necessarily fall into one science fiction box.

TheOct8pus on Nov 4, 2015

it plays in the future so it's science fiction....

ari smulders on Nov 4, 2015

facepalm

EggRoll on Nov 4, 2015

How in the world will Jones find time to make this? Surely, the studio will want to fast rack a WARCRAFT sequel with him, if it is successful. But this film does sound good.

DAVIDPD on Nov 4, 2015

Apparently, he's shooting all principal photography in the 8 month period before Warcraft comes out....

TheOct8pus on Nov 5, 2015

LOL. More power to him, I suppose. // I want to believe.

DAVIDPD on Nov 5, 2015

Why?

TheOct8pus on Nov 5, 2015

I am really excited and eagerly waiting for this movie

Shammi Aktar on Jan 23, 2017

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