Robert Pattinson Idol’s Eye May Still Happen

According to NOW Toronto, who recently spoke to Olivier Assayas:

In 2014, he was ready to shoot the Chicago-set 70s crime drama Idol’s Eye – starring another Twilight vet, Robert Pattinson – in Toronto when an American financier pulled out the day before production was to begin.

Given that experience, it’s no surprise he is sticking close to home for his next movie: it’s a French film “with lots of dialogue” starring Guillaume Canet and Juliette Binoche that shoots this fall, but afterwards he hopes to revive Idol’s Eye, with Sylvester Stallone and Rachel Weisz starring along with Pattinson.

…

A few years ago you were about to shoot the American-financed Idol’s Eye in Toronto, but the financing fell through. What’s the status of that film?

The situation on that film has been ongoing for a while. In a nutshell, it’s a screenplay I wrote based on true-crime stories set in Chicago in the late 70s. The film was financed and we were ready to shoot, but the day before shooting we lost our American financing. Which was, like, a nightmare. It never happens. You can lose your financing, but usually you lose it a month or two before shooting – not the day before.

At this point, we have solved the more complex issues so now it’s doable again, but it certainly won’t be my next film. And it’s not a done deal, but it has potential to happen.

Why did you want to shoot it in Toronto?

Sadly, it’s very basic. Chicago is much more expensive. Also, I’d already filmed in Toronto on Clean so I have friends and crew members. I’m familiar with the ambience in Toronto – it’s very much a movie town. We found all the locations we needed between Toronto and Hamilton that could look like late 70s Chicago.

The film will star Sylvester Stallone, as well as Robert Pattinson and Rachel Weisz. What do you like about Stallone?

I’m a huge fan – what can I say? I thought Rocky was pretty great, and so were the sequels. I like him as a director. I remember seeing Paradise Alley – his first film – in the late 70s, and he’s a very original individual in filmmaking. He has something that’s very powerful. For this movie we needed a very powerful figure to embody Tony Accardo, a famous Mafia boss. I thought Stallone was perfect. I really like the guy and enjoyed our meetings.

Robert Pattinson will star alongside Sylvester Stallone in Olivier Assayas Idol’s Eye

 

Having just finished reading Robert’s interview in Cahiers Du Cinema, where they mention in the introduction  “While waiting for ‘High Life’ by Claire Denis and ‘Idol’s eyes’ by Olivier Assayas (he will be playing alongside Sylvester Stallone) …” I thought I should check out what is the current status of Idol’s Eye because for the past 6 months it’s been showing as “PreProduction Nov 5, 2016”.  Nice to see that it’s now at script stage – so clearly something is happening.  I know there is a chance this film may never get off the ground, but then I remember how long it took The Lost City of Z – so I am forever hopeful.  Disappointed De Niro no longer involved, but I do love Stallone and Rachel Weisz so not really complaining.  Will keep you up to date if more movement on this film happens.

La Septième Obsession interviewed Olivier Assayas about his upcoming film with Robert Pattinson and Sylvester Stallone “Idol’s Eye”

La Septième Obsession (French magazine) interviewed Olivier Assayas for their January issue and asked him about his upcoming film with Robert Pattinson and Sylvester Stallone “Idol’s Eye”.  Loving that this is another project that is hopefully back on track. 

Facebook Google Translation:

 “La Septième Obsession N° 8: Interview With Olivier Assayas + exclusive documents on the preparation of his next film “Idol”s eye” with Sylvester Stallone and Robert Pattinson.
” the past must constantly be rebuilt. The Directors of the new wave have just reinvented, they asked him: What’s that in the past we serve, can we be useful? It is the role of all generations, they must re-explore the report in the past, to understand what we will be useful in the present.” Olivier Assayas, NO 8 (In Kiosks And Libraries).

Here’s the extract below:

Will all these themes related to the ‘invisible’ be in the movie IDOL’S EYE that you are working on and that you are going to shoot in 2017?

Not necessarily, this is the movie that I wanted to make two years ago, it is more like the movie CARLOS; a film about a diverse news item on which I did extremely precise research to reconstruct all the details. It will be my first American movie. For the script, I needed to feel that I had done a precise job. It’s not my culture, nor my country or my history. I was interested in making an almost documentary-like reconstruction of this diverse news item. The story takes place in Chicago in the late 1970s. 

Sylvester Stallone will play in the movie. Why him specifically? 

I have always been a fan of Stallone, since ROCKY (1976), but also of the screenwriter and director that he is. He is always very precise with real authenticity. I’m in need of someone powerful and disturbing to represent Tony Accardo, the head of the Chicago mafia, a very important but little known historical figure. What is so powerful about Stallone is that he is not from middle-class, but working class (blue collar) background.. He has something popular. When you want to talk about the mafia, few actors of his stature could bring such dimension. I get along well with him, I find him very human. At the moment we only met twice. We shared simple things. It’s essential to talk about cinema and discover one another. Stallone is now more a director than an actor. So we share the same difficulties but of course on different levels.

Via / Translation

We already knew that Robert Pattinson was playing John Mendell in Idol’s Eye, but IMDbPro has just added it to their film page and, to be honest, it’s good to see it confirmed … again.

You can check out all the information we know about the film at our dedicated Idol’s Eye film page.

 

We posted earlier this week that Olivier Assayas was in Argentina for the Mar Del Plata Film Festival.  The Hollywood Reporter had the opportunity to speak with him about the resurrection of Idol’s Eye and working in Hollywood.

Now that Idol’s Eye appears to have been resurrected, what are your thoughts about working in Hollywood for the first time?

Honestly, I thought it would be easier. I think I underestimated the specificity of how Hollywood functions, and I underestimated the differences with the dynamics of European filmmaking. I lived and made my movies in a very specific environment — European independent filmmaking — which is ultimately based on a kind of freedom in the way you function, the way actors function, in terms of your relationship with the financing of your films. I didn’t realize how privileged I was. A lot of things that I took for granted in terms of my filmmaking, meaning the fact that I can have some weird way of functioning, that I can adapt to the subject or the context of my movies. I’ve always had the opportunity to adjust my filmmaking to the specific needs of each project. In the North American film industry, you have very strict rules, you feel you can never break the rules, you have to adapt, even if it’s frustrating or counterproductive. There is this notion of control in every single level, which is adverse to the dynamics of filmmaking, at least as I love it. I realized very early on in the process that it’s not a matter of liking it or not, but I felt it took a lot of pleasure out of filmmaking. And to me the pleasure of filmmaking is incredibly precious. So I hope this film will happen now. I think that it genuinely has potential to be a pretty good film, but … I’m not sure if I’ll try something similar again for a while.

This way of having to rationalize everything, with guys trying to control everything, you know, there’s a lack of trust. The big thing in European filmmaking is that it functions on trust. That’s why it moves fast. When you spend a year discussing a contract, just to make sure no one gets f—ed in the process … that’s not how movies are made. You have this lawyer culture, which ultimately creates a system where making a film is actually a byproduct of the contract.

One of the consequences of the resurrection of the project was Sylvester Stallone stepping in for the mobster role for which Robert De Niro was originally cast. How do you feel about working with Stallone?

I genuinely admire him, I’ve always been a fan. I haven’t seen the Expendables films, but I’ve seen every single Rocky movie, and I think he is an excellent writer and director. He has his own idiosyncratic way of functioning. I remember his first film, Paradise Alley, I loved it. I think he is an amazing actor. And I was not disappointed when I met him. I’m a fan.

I think I’m not going to get excited about this film until it’s done and dusted.  But the above certainly clarifies Assayas’ negativity towards Hollywood that was inferred in the La Nacion article.  And to be honest, I can understand his weariness.  Hollywood is about making money not about making art.  And as much as I’m a De Niro fan I think I prefer Sly in the role. Bobby’s film choices of late haven’t impressed or interested me at all.

 

Oliver Assayas was in Argentina to attend the Festival of Mar Del Plata and was interviewed by La Nacion (The Nation).  He certainly didn’t hold back on what he thinks of Hollywood.  I hope this films gets off the ground.  It would be a shame not to see this cast or this story:

[H]e is about to realize a long – delayed and costly project as Idol’s Eye (the story of a petty thief who steals a sapphire belonging to the Mafia boss of Chicago), which will feature Robert Pattinson, Rachel Weisz and Sylvester Stallone ( replaces last time Robert De Niro).

…

It is assumed that the film will be next March, the actors are confirmed, but it was an enormous debt of that frustrated filming for which was all ready, so the budget went to the clouds, because more than I think the $ 25 million. In addition, because that cost and that mishap, we cannot film in Canada, so we must find new locations. I will only do it if, as it seems now, it will have basically French control. It no longer interests me to work in the current conditions of Hollywood with producer despots and delirious. The only good thing of this experience is to be able to shoot Stallone, Pattinson or Weisz. The best of Hollywood, no doubt, are its actors. [My emphasis]

Again, thanks Posh for heads up.

Translation via Google