After working with Ethan Hawke on Gattaca and Lord of War, director Andrew Niccol is now looking to team up for a third time with the actor on Good Kill. Already set to co-star Zoe Kravitz, Bruce Greenwood and Jake Abel, the film has now added January Jones to its cast, as she’ll play the wife of Hawke’s “fighter pilot turned drone operator.”
The script, which Niccol wrote himself, will focus on Hawke’s character who after fighting the Taliban, via remote control, for up to 12 hours a day, “starts to question his mission, asking himself if he is creating more terrorists than he is killing in a war seemingly without end.” Kravitz and Abel will play members of Hawke’s crew while Greenwood will be his superior officer.
Zev Foreman of Voltage Pictures, who are producing, had the following to say about the film:
“This film will give the public a glimpse into what they are reading about and seeing on the news every day. This is not just about where war is heading but what is happening around the world right now.” Said Amin: “Andrew’s script is not only extremely well written and full of great characters but it pulls back the curtain on the topical subject of drones and the lives of the people who operate them.”
Though I enjoyed both Gattaca and Lord of War, there are two red flags for me here. One, Niccol’s last film was The Host. If you’ve seen it, I shouldn’t need to expand any further on that point. Two, January Jones is not a good actress. She has the looks, but as an actress I absolutely cannot stand her, and I know that many people share that same sentiment. I used to think it was just her role on Mad Men that made her come off as cold and unresponsive but after seeing her in several roles since, I’ve come to the conclusion that she just can’t act. Her lack of charisma might suit her role on AMC’s hit show, but it doesn’t bode well for her in other projects.
Shooting already began on Good Kill back in December in Morocco and is set to resume in February in New Mexico. Assuming all goes according to plan, we’ll likely be seeing the film sometime at the end of 2014, if not early 2015.
Tell us, are you a fan of Niccol and Hawke’s previous efforts? If so, are you excited for their third team-up? Let us know in the comments section below.
