Rodrigo GarcÃa has long been a well-respected name in the television industry, helming pilots for such successful shows like Carnivà le, Big Love and Six Degrees. In recent years, however, he’s also been gaining more credibility as a Hollywood director, thanks to the success of his films Mother and Child and Albert Nobbs, the latter of which Glenn Close and Janet McTeer both earned Oscar nominations for.
His next project certainly sounds like an intriguing challenge: an indie drama called Last Days in the Desert, about a holy man and a demon journeying through the desert together. Continuing the streak of good luck in casting that began with Albert Nobbs, GarcÃa has snagged A-lister Ewan McGregor to lead the film.
McGregor will star as both the holy man and the demon, the pair of whom face questions about their fate after encountering a family clinging to life in the brutal heat of the desert. Sheridan, a teen actor who made a terrific first impression with Mud and Joe, will likely co-star as a member of that family, alongside Ciarán Hinds and Ayelet Zurer, both of whom were previously confirmed for the film.
Oddly enough, this isn’t McGregor’s first time taking on dual roles in a project. He previously played Lincoln Six Echo, and the character’s clone Tom Lincoln, in Michael Bay’s 2005 sci-fi thriller The Island. Considering how deftly he handled double duty in that project, I can only predict good things for Last Days in the Desert.
GarcÃa is directing from his own script, which is definitely a positive sign. He also wrote Mother and Child, and he both created and scribed for HBO’s In Treatment, a show that was widely hailed for its smart writing throughout its run. GarcÃa was actually honored with a Writers Guild Award for Best New Series back in 2008, so his talent with a pen and paper is not in question.
The film will begin production later this month in the Southern California desert. Gravity lenser Emmanuel Lubezki will serve as the director of photography, so viewers are likely be in for some extremely impressive, evocative visuals. According to Lubezki, Last Days in the Desert will take five weeks to shoot. While commenting on becoming involved with the film, the cinematographer called GarcÃa’s screenplay a “tiny little beautiful, extraordinary script.”
I’m already extremely excited about this project. With all the talent involved, from GarcÃa to Lubezki to McGregor and Sheridan, the potential for thought provoking, visually stimulating drama seems extremely high. Whether we’ll see it later this year or sometime in 2015 is still unclear, but I’ll be counting down the days as soon as a release date is announced.
Tell us, what are your impressions of Last Days in the Desert? Does McGregor’s involvement make you more interested? Sound off below.
