UPDATE: Director Drake Doremus has taken to Twitter to state the film is not related to 1984 at all. Screenwriter Nathan Parker (MOON) apparently based it off of the 1956 adaptation of the Orwell novel which itself was an altered version of the source material.
You have no idea how much it hurts to write that headline and know it is not a joke. Whether you are a fan of the George Orwell novel NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR or the film version released in 1984 starring John Hurt and Richard Burton, you have to recognize just how absolutely atrocious this news is. 1984 stands as a benchmark for dystopian literature and films having influenced other filmmakers into making movies like BRAZIL and EQUILIBRIUM. While Michael Radford's film version may not be the best possible adaptation of the book, this reimagining doesn't sound like it will be much better.
The new version of the tale will be titled EQUALS and star Stewart and Nicholas Hoult as lovers in a dystopian society. The film will be directed by Drake Doremus whose biggest film to his credit is the 2011 romantic drama LIKE CRAZY starring Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, and Jennifer Lawrence.
Stewart was recently asked about tackling the iconic Orwell novel to which she gave this statement.
"I'm terrified of it," said the 23-year-old actress in a recent interview. "Though it's a movie with a really basic concept, it's overtly ambitious."
"In 'Equals,' things go wrong because you can't deny the humanity in everyone," said Stewart. "It's the most devastating story."
I am scared, too. Stewart showed glimpses of acting talent in movies like PANIC ROOM but has since devolved into a cardboard cutout in the TWILIGHT franchise. She was the weakest part of SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN and has shown very little evidence of being able to handle something like 1984. But, with this sounding like a teen version of what 1984 should be, this project seems doomed from the start.
EQUALS is currently in pre-production and will likely film this year. If Big Brother is watching, please kill me before this gets released.
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