Richard Linklater is a hard director to pin down. Just when you think you’ve got him figured out, he makes something completely different to his last project. His last five movies have been Boyhood (Ellar Coltrane, Particia Arquette), Before Midnight (Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy), Bernie (Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey), Me and Orson Welles (Zac Efron, Christian McKay) and A Scanner Darkly (Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr.).
Wait! That’s it! His last three movies all began with the letter ‘B’. So that’s what sort of a director he is. He transcends traditional…huh? His next film is The Incredible Mr Limpet? Which is about a man who can turn into a fish? Auteur theory, be damned.
Linklater will remake the 1964 live-action/animation hybrid. At least there’s a small bit of consistency with the director’s filmography. Femke Wolting and Tommy Pallotta are onboard, who are the filmmakers responsible for the rotoscoping work on Linklater’s Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly.
Zack Galifianakis (The Hangover, Muppets Most Wanted) will reportedly take the lead role. For a little taster of the film, here’s an advert for the original movie. They don’t make trailers like this anymore. There ain’t a single Inception bwaaarm noise in the entire thing…
Linklater’s new film, Boyhood, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last week. It stars Ethan Hawke, Particia Arquette and Ellar Coltrane. The movie was shot over 12 years, showing the characters age in real time. The theatrical release date has not yet been announced.
Originally published January 29, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
