Logan's Run Redux: Long-Awaited Project Finally Hears the Starting Pistol; Ryan Gosling to Star
by Scott Nye
Ryan Gosling has been a darling of indie (and quasi-indie) cinema for the last decade, seeing huge acclaim in such films as "Half Nelson," "Lars and the Real Girl," and last year's "Blue Valentine," for which his costar, Michelle Williams, was recently nominated. He's best known, however, as the guy McAdams loved in the 2004 romantic drama, "The Notebook."
Next year he'll make his action debut in Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive," a collaboration that looks to yield Gosling's first tent pole release - a remake of the 1976 film "Logan's Run." Warner Brothers is currently finalizing the deal.
According to Deadline, Gosling is set to play "a 'Sandman' whose job it was to put to permanent sleep those who try to escape mandatory death, the downside of the blissful existence in the domed city that protects the inhabitants who survived a 23rd century apocalypse."
Who wants to bet he suddenly sees his own system turn against him and has to escape? Good news, you don't have to bet - this is a remake of a film that itself was adapted from a novel. The answer is readily available.
Warner Brothers has been trying to get this off the ground for the better part of a decade. At one point or another, Skip Woods, Brian Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Robert Schwentke, James McTeigue, Joseph Kosinski, and Alex Garland have all taken passes at the material, all under the supervision of producer Joel Silver.
The Alex Garland (he of "28 Days Later," "Sunshine," and "Never Let Me Go" fame) script will go into production this fall under the direction of Refn, who's been on everyone's radar since 2009's testosterone-fest "Bronson."
Garland's a very strong writer, showing he can handle tremendous momentum in sci-fi entertainment with "Sunshine" and surprisingly touching, quiet drama with "Never Let Me Go."
While "Logan's Run" will almost certainly be more about adrenaline and thrills than understated emotion, it's rare enough for any summer blockbuster writer to consider the emotional angle. And with Gosling at the center, that emotional hook will be key. Refn, meanwhile, is a bit of a madman, and will be more than capable of delivering every bit of pulse-pounding excitement called for in Garland's screenplay.