How many projects does Guy Ritchie currently have percolating in development, and who keeps funding them? The man is giving Ridley Scott a run for his money as the most prolific filmmaker in Hollywood.
Up next for Ritchie is “Fountain of Youth,” starring Natalie Portman, Eiza González and John Krasinski. James Vanderbilt’s much-lauded script had been making the rounds for over a year before Ritchie hopped on board the project. A trailer has just been released for the film.
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.
It sounds like “Fountains of Youth” might be going straight to streaming, on Apple TV, this coming May 23. Judging by the trailer, it seems to be a riff on adventure films such as “National Treasure” and “Indiana Jones.” In other words, this is the type of movie that could have benefited from a theatrical release.
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 followed “Pulp Fiction,” Ritchie seemed like the one filmmaker who could 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 — “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” “Aladdin,” “The Man From U.N.C.L.E” “Swept Away,” and two “Sherlock Holmes” movies, soon followed.
I will say this, I was a total sucker for Ritchie’s more 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. In 2023, Ritchie released a war film, “The Covenant,” another fairly impressive technical feat, that seemed to be well-liked by audiences.
As mentioned, Ritchie, who has directed five projects in the last four years, has a bunch of stuff in the works, some have already been shot, including “Wife & Dog,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike and Anthony Hopkins, and the war action flick “In the Grey,” starring Henry Cavill and Rosamund Pike. Both of these films might be released this year.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.