When I interviewed Paul Greengrass last month for GREEN ZONE, he speculated that his next film would be a significant departure from the handheld, rapidly-cut action films on which he made his name. He joked that he was ready to try a romantic comedy. Somehow, that'd seem more likely than taking on the 3D, CGI-heavy remake of FANTASTIC VOYAGE being prepped by producers James Cameron and Jon Landau at 20th Century Fox (utilizing the same technology that made AVATAR a worldwide box-office juggernaut). But here we are.
Based on the 1966 sci-fi hit directed by the sporadically great Richard Fleischer (please watch THE NARROW MARGIN at your earliest convenience), this version will once again find a team of scientists being miniaturized and injected into the imperiled body of an indispensable colleague. There's no word as to whether they're battling another blood clot or something more insidious this time out (personally, I'm hoping they go toe-to-toe with a mutant strain of the swine flu that looks like the titular beast from RAZORBACK).
According to Variety, Greengrass is only "in talks" at the moment, so there's a possibility he could take a peek at the Shane Salerno screenplay, realize it's a Shane Salerno screenplay, and run screaming. Honestly, though, I hope he takes the gig. Greengrass is the kind of skilled and inquisitive filmmaker who could find a completely different way to harness the potential of 3D, and save it from the studios' idiotic insistence on turning every major genre release into a blurry, misshapen mess via the dubious "conversion" process (i.e. avoid the 3D version of CLASH OF THE TITANS at all costs; it is a spectacular waste of your money). That Greengrass is far enough along in the conversation with Cameron for Variety to be reporting on it suggests that he's got a strong take on the material and/or the application of the technology.
FANTASTIC VOYAGE is a fun, but of-its-era movie, so I've no problem with a remake. Let's just hope Warner Bros. isn't inspired to rush a competing INNERSPACE redo into production, 'cuz that'd be sacrilege.
The trailer from Fleischer's original...
And check out the game-changing use of T2's morphing f/x here...
