The cameras have only just begun rolling on the Berlin set of Mute, Duncan Jones’ long-anticipated science fiction film, and already we have word that the movie has landed a distributor in the form of Netflix.
At least, that’s according to Alexander Skarsgård, who swung by Empire to reveal that Mute will enjoy a similarly staggered release as that of Beasts of No Nation, in the sense that Jones’ passion project would make its debut on the streaming service first before being launched into select theaters in and around the same timeframe. Said Skarsgård: “I think they’ll do what they did with Beasts Of No Nation, where they do a theatrical simultaneously to a Netflix release.”
Aligning with previous reports, the actor went on to reveal that he’ll be assuming the role of Leo Beiler, a mute bartender living in a far-future Berlin – 2056, to be exact. Prowling the metropolis for his missing girlfriend, he comes into contact with Paul Rudd’s American surgeon, who may or may not have some inkling of her whereabouts. “It’s about a guy who was in an accident as a kid,” explains Skarsgård. “He’s ex-Amish, so he lives a very monastic life: he doesn’t have a cellphone or anything like that. He’s left the [Amish] community but he still kinda follows the rules.”
When pressed about whether Sam Rockwell’s Sam Bell will crop up – Mute is considered the second part in a sci-fi trilogy from Jones following Moon – Skarsgård coyly replied “maybe.” Let the speculation commence. Tapping into the city’s troubled history, further plot details reveal that Jones’ pic takes place in a “roiling city of immigrants, where East crashes against West in a sci-fi Casablanca.”
A theatrical release date continues to elude Mute for the time being, but considering how long we’ve waited for Duncan Jones to fire up production on the futuristic sci-fi, the mere fact that the wheels are in motion is exciting in and of itself.
