Pawel Pawlikowski Attempting to Revive ‘The Island’ With Mara and Phoenix

It was reported in May that bond companies were refusing to insure movies ahead of the SAG strike.

One of the first victims of this seismic industry event was Pawel Pawlikowski’s “The Island”, which was set to star Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara and was supposed to start shooting this past May in Spain. The project was scrapped on 05.23.23.

Pawlikowski was told on the eve of shoot that the movie couldn’t be insured, leading to both Phoenix and Mara returning home and the project being put on hold until further notice.

Producers tried other insurance companies but to no avail. However, based on what I’ve been hearing, do not scratch this one off entirely. Pawlikowski still very much wants this to be his next movie.

The question does remain if Mara and Phoenix will be available come production time, whenever that may be, given their busy schedules, especially Phoenix who still has to shoot Ari Aster’s “Eddington” and an untitled Todd Haynes drama.

Described as a drama/thriller, “The Island” is loosely based on real events. Mara and Phoenix were going to play an American couple in the 1930s who escape to their own private island and live off the land. However, a millionaire disrupts their tranquil lifestyle, as he passes by on his yacht, turning the couple into a tabloid sensation.

Pawlikowski’s last two films, “Ida” and “Cold War,” were critically-acclaimed chrome-infused sensations. There’s a lot of high expectations for his next one. Before his last two critical hits, Pawlikowski had also directed the wonderful 2004 coming-of-age romance “My Summer of Love.”