I’ve been hearing about this one for a few months now. My intel was saying that this had the makings of something special. The big get here is James Vanderbilt’s script, which I hear is “phenomenal”.
So, with what seems to, supposedly, be an A-grade script, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Guy Ritchie has lined up quite the duo of actors for his next film. Natalie Portman and John Krasinski have signed up for “Fountains of Youth.”
The film follows two estranged siblings (Krasinski and Portman) who partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an epic adventure that will change their lives — and possibly lead to immortality.
The peculiar career of filmmaker Guy Ritchie ..
The English-born Ritchie initially built his career in the British crime-comedy genre, from “Snatch” to “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels,” he amassed a fanbase in the late ‘90s and early aughts that would follow him anywhere he went. Of all the Tarantino ripoffs that came after “Pulp Fiction,” Ritchie looked like one filmmaker who could actually stick around.
The problem was that the destination he decided to take, and the ensuing paycheck-driven studio fare he decided to make, weren’t what his original fans signed up for — would you call “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” “Aladdin,” “The Man From U.N.C.L.E” “Swept Away,” and two “Sherlock Holmes” movies “auteur” films? Of course not.
I will say this, I was a total sucker for Ritchie’s recent Jason Statham vehicle, “Wrath of Man,” which featured the best direction of his career and, in terms of style and tone, was a ballsy effort. Last year, Ritchie released a war film, “The Covenant,” another fairly impressive technical feat, that seemed to be well-liked by audiences.
Before he heads into “Fountains of Youth,” Ritchie has already completed a film, titled The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, set for release this coming April. It’s being billed as a WWII spy caper starring Henry Cavill.