Much to the surprise of many, Duke Johnson’s “The Actor” will be released in theaters less than four weeks from now. A trailer has been unveiled for the long-delayed film, and so has a March 14 release date via Neon. A very quick turnaround.
“The Actor,” which stars Andre Holland and Gemma Chan, wrapped production back in April 2023. The fact that Neon has decided to skip festivals, and quickly dump this one in March is not a good sign in terms of film’s potential quality. I hope to be proven wrong.
The film, based on the best-selling novel, “Memory,” by Donald E. Westlake, is the story of an amnesiac man in 1950s Ohio who wakes up with no memory of who he is. He then attempts to trace back his identity in New York to figure out his own mystery, along the way he strikes up a romance with a mysterious woman (Gemma Chan).
Johnson wrote and co-directed, with Charlie Kaufman, the darkly fantastic, animated treat “Anomalisa,” released in 2015. It was his feature-directing debut. Johnson actually specializes in stop-motion animation, which is why Kaufman sought his help with “Anomalisa,” and “The Actor” is his first ever live-action project.