Back in the early 90s, Madeline Stowe was riding high on an acting career that included roles in LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 12 MONKEYS and UNLAWFUL ENTRY. But what she really wanted to do was to make her own movies. She wrote a script called UNBOUND CAPTIVES under a pseudonym and, wouldn’t you know it, it was the talk of the town. Fox offered her $5 million for the script, which they wanted Ridley Scott to direct with Russell Crowe in the lead role. Stowe, mustering up an insane amount of self-confidence, turned down the deal. She wanted to direct the film herself, despite not having any experience directing. She waited and waited and what clout she had as an A-list actress was beginning to fade. Would she ever get the project off the ground? Yup.
Some 15 years after she wrote the script, Madeline Stowe will make her directorial debut on UNBOUND CAPTIVES with Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz and Robert Pattinson starring. The film follows a woman (Weisz) whose husband and children are kidnapped in the mid-1800s. Jackman plays a frontiersman who comes to her rescue. While Stowe is a n00b, she’ll be helped considerably by genius cinematographer John Toll who won Oscars for BRAVEHEART and LEGENDS OF THE FALL. Stowe said of her gamble to wait, “There are moments in life where you need to follow your heart.” Amen sister.
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