Alexander Payne‘s career is full of movies, serious and otherwise, that are consistently some of the most sincere and entertaining films released. From SIDEWAYS and ABOUT SCHMIDT to THE DESCENDENTS and NEBRASKA, every Payne film is worth repeated viewings. But, it has not been since ELECTION that Payne has made a straight comedy. DOWNSIZING may be that comedy.
Deadline says Matt Damon will headline Payne’s DOWNSIZING which has a vague and bizarre synopsis.
Pic is a social satire in which a guy realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself.
My thoughts immediately went to HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, but with the description being a satire, could we be seeing an Alexander Payne movie along the lines of Mike Judge‘s IDIOCRACY? At the very least, Damon’s involvement with DOWNSIZING means that he will no longer be starring in Zhang Yimou‘s THE GREAT WALL which Legendary Pictures was setting up to be a massive epic.
DOWNSIZING will likely shoot next year and will come from a screenplay co-written by Payne and his SIDEWAYS co-writer Jim Taylor. Expect to see it by awards season next winter.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed