The last substantial update we got in regards to Abel Ferrara’s proposed JEKYLL AND HYDE movie was that one of its stars, Forest Whitaker, had exited the production. The actor, who was set to play Dr. Jekyll to 50 Cent’s Mr. Hyde, left for unspecified reasons. Obviously, this left Ferrara in the lurch a little, but as far as we knew, he was still gearing up to make the adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic. But now, well, it would appear as though it’s stalled indefinitely.
Ferrara sat down for an interview with the UK site The Guardian, and the subject of the film came up… Referencing 50 Cent, Ferrara had the following to say: “He could be an awesome Ed Hyde. He’s the real deal. But it’s not gonna get made.”
“Warner Brothers have put up about one fifth of what the film should cost and want about one third of what it’s gonna make, and I’m supposed to kiss the feet of whoever made that deal,” Ferrara continues. “They never made Jekyll & Hyde the way it was written. It’s a guy and his creation. Having one actor play both parts is an abomination, a distortion of Stevenson’s story. It’s a masterpiece. I’m gonna make it one day.”
Filming was supposed to start this summer but has been put on hold, maybe forever. Meanwhile, Ferrara is tinkering around with an apocalyptic drama called THE LAST DAY ON EARTH, about what would happen if everyone on earth knew the world was coming to an end. Could be cool, but someone should mention the fact that fellow indie madman Lars von Trier is making something similar…