When director Ben Wheatley’s next project High Rise was announced, I was excited because it’s Ben Wheatley. When Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons joined the film, I was even more excited because it’s Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons. Now, Luke Evans has been added to High Rise and…wow.
High Rise is based on J.G. Ballard’s novel of the same name and is set in a massive tower block where residents have become divided along class lines. Enter Tom Hiddleston’s Dr. Robert Laing, who finds a class war in progress as the fabulous high rise collapses into violence. There’s no word on who Luke Evans will be playing in the film, but the part of the high rise’s architect is filled by Jeremy Irons, with Sienna Miller as Hiddleston’s love interest. If High Rise is anything like Wheatley’s other efforts, we can expect some dark humor and unsettling violence.
Evans has been making a mark for himself in a number of different films, including his part as Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and the baddie in Fast & Furious 6. He’s also starring in Universal’s Dracula Untold, which arrives this fall. The fact that Evans has been added to such a spectacular cast in a film with such a spectacular director bodes well for his future in the industry. His addition also means that we will have the joy of seeing a number of very attractive British men on the same screen together, with James Purefoy also recently being added to the cast. Nice.
Director Ben Wheatley, by the way, has just wrapped filming two episodes of Doctor Who, so we also have that to look forward to in the coming months.
High Rise will be shooting in Northern Ireland before long, so we can hope to see it at next year’s Cannes film festival.
