We have good reason to be excited for this fall’s Birdman. The dark dramatic comedy was directed by Biutiful helmer Alejandro González Iñárritu, who worked with Gravity cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki to design the film’s more visually intimidating aspects (hinted at in the awesome teaser trailer we got two weeks back). It also stars Michael Keaton, in what looks like a career-restarting role, as a veteran actor who attempts to mount a comeback with a Broadway adaptation of the titular superhero movie for which he’s best known. Now, a set of new images has popped up on the web, reminding us of the fact that many accomplished actors are involved with Birdman besides its lead.
Set over a 48-hour period, Birdman is apparently a very immersive experience (we can thank Lubezki for that) which appears to happen in one continuous take (à la Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope) but is in fact composed of less than a dozen single takes stitched together with small segues of CGI and black space. It’s definitely going to be one of this fall’s major awards contenders, and I’d imagine that Keaton’s self-autobiographical performance may make him a front-runner in the 2015 Best Actor race. The supporting cast is full of gems as well, so it’s possible that Birdman could be this year’s American Hustle, pulling off nods for actors across the various categories.
Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts co-star in the film, which opens October 17th.
BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.
