Nordling here.
River Phoenix's death in 1993 was truly a tragedy - not only because of the circumstances but because he was a tremendous talent who brought amazing characters to the screen. He's terrific in MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO, but it was STAND BY ME that brought him to many people's attention. Chris Chambers was the tough kid with a heart, and he was an amazing actor, even at that young age. There was a realism and an honesty to his performance that trumps pretty much any child performance since:
When he died, Phoenix was shooting a film called DARK BLOOD for George Sluizer (THE VANISHING), and that film remained uncompleted. But now, Sluizer has re-edited the material and with additional voice-over, believes it can finally be released.
Speaking to Hollywood Reporter, Sluizer stated that he plans to ask River's brother, Joaquin Phoenix, to finish voiceover as River's character, a young man awaiting apocalypse on a nuclear testing site. Hopefully with the added voiceover and additional editing, Sluizer can release the film next year.
I hope this happens. River Phoenix was a true loss to filmmaking. The only actor that comes close to that loss, in my opinion, is Heath Ledger and his work. With any luck, River's final performance will be seen and enjoyed by film fans.
Nordling, out.
