Rian Johnson Discusses Looper

From High School Noir to Grosse Point Terminator

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (21)

Last night, TK, Mrs. TK, and I were fortunate enough to see the opening film of the Boston Independent Film Festival, Rian Johnson’s The Brothers Bloom. First of all, it’s a pretty fucking amazing film — I’ll have a full review up tomorrow. But in the meantime, for fans of director Johnson — whose debut film was the high-school set noir Brick, which has slowly grown into a full-blown cult hit — you may be interested to learn that he’s in the beginning stages of working on his follow-up to The Brothers Bloom.

After the screening, in fact, Johnson revealed a few details about his next project. It’s a sci-fi film called Looper, which is about hitmen who are sent their victims from the future. He’s working on the second-draft right now. He said it wouldn’t be anything like The Brothers Bloom. In fact, he told the audience that it would be very dark, very violent. After the screening, Slashfilm interviewed Rian (oh la dee da) and pressed him for more details, learning that Looper will be set 30 years in the future, the flick will depict a dystopian society gone to hell, and a disruptive element will be sent back from even further in the future, similar to Terminator.

It’s hard to imagine Rian Johnson doing a sci-fi flick, but clearly the guy knows how to do some serious genre-bending, so I’d guess he’d do genre proud. Dude could probably set it in a preschool and pull it off. After seeing The Brothers Bloom, I’m kind of the man’s bitch.

(Slashfilm)

Follow @pajiba

← The Worst Live-Action Movies Based on Cartoons | Anna Faris Signs onto What's Your Number →

Comments

I really liked Brick but I'm not sure about this new one. Hitmen are sent people from the future? So people in the future are just sending the target back? I don't know if this makes sense.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at April 23, 2009 5:45 PM

And where does Samantha Morton fit in?

Posted by: Jay at April 23, 2009 5:50 PM

I'm guessing it's like if you were a hitman in Germany in 1920 and someone from the future sent you Hitler's name. So they're righting wrongs before they happen like in Minority Report. It also reminds me of that ridiculous magical loom!

Posted by: DarthCorleone at April 23, 2009 6:01 PM

...which would mean it's the Hurley school of time-travel and not the "whatever happened, happened" school.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at April 23, 2009 6:02 PM

Ohhh. Well in that case I am a little more interested.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at April 23, 2009 6:04 PM

Yes, yes, yes! The Brothers Bloom if fucking amazing. Can't wait for the review.

Posted by: lj at April 23, 2009 6:27 PM

hey, you leave the fraternity outta this. the loom knows all.

Posted by: gp at April 23, 2009 6:30 PM

I don't know, one of the things I remember most clearly about Brick is that Joseph Gordon-Levitt looked really really hot in it. Of course, I started watching it at about 1am which is when my shallow filter really starts to switch on.

I'll pick up The Brothers Bloom, and the concept of Looper sounds interesting but I'm pretty hit or miss with the whole "dark, dystopian future" genre. I couldn't make it through more than half an hour of Equilibrium, but I adored Children of Men. But maybe that's because Children of Men was good and Equilibrium was more boring that watching paint dry.

/stands back to watch the flame war start.

Posted by: Genny (also Rusty) at April 23, 2009 7:25 PM

Oh great, now I'm excited for a movie that won't be out for another 5 years. Thanks for that.

Posted by: the_wakeful at April 23, 2009 7:33 PM

/stands back to watch the flame war start

Nawwww, you didn't disparage anything important.

Posted by: Jay at April 23, 2009 7:39 PM

I don't know, Jay, I've seen some pretty staunch Equilibrium defenders in these parts. But mostly it seems like their argument boils down to "Blah blah Gun Kata blah blah blah Christian Bale blah blah looks really cool."

Posted by: Genny (also Rusty) at April 23, 2009 8:03 PM

After seeing only Brick I became Rian Johnson's bitch. That film was amazing. Since then, I don't care what he puts out, I'm gonna see it. The Brothers Bloom trailer I saw about a year and some change back looked amazing, and I'm still gonna see it whenever it gets released in my city.

Rom-com? Torture porn? Whatever the hell, if it has "written and directed by Rian Johnson" on the front, I'm inside the theater.

Posted by: Riley at April 23, 2009 8:08 PM

Ohhh I'm just giving said fans the business. I haven't seen it myself.

Posted by: Jay at April 23, 2009 8:37 PM

"hitmen who are sent their victims from the future."
---
How do they negotiate a price? Is there some kind of time-warp telephone? "Yeah, it's Joey. So lissen, so when do ya want me to do dat t'ing? Not DAT t'ing, de udda t'ing, dat job? And when do I get my moneys?" Speaking of which, do they get paid in inflation adjusted dollars? You know ... "It's $5 G's if you're payin' in my own time, but if you're talkin' ta me from 20 years downa road I gotta say it's $15."

So many questions ... Aw, fuck it. I'm gonna go watch "12 Monkeys" again.

Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at April 24, 2009 12:03 AM

For awhile there, Brick was my go to movie to watch as I drifted off to sleep.

BTW, Hulu has the opening scene for Brothers Bloom posted.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/69300/movie-trailers-the-brothers-bloom---opening-sequence

Posted by: Blair at April 24, 2009 2:47 AM

Damn it GennY!!! Took the words right out of my mouth. I like Equilibirum yes because Bale looks like some sort of deadly sex robot.

As for this, I looooooved Brick, and Loopers, now that its been explained, sounds interesting and reminds me of a twilight zone(the new series) ep I saw once where SkankCancer(are we still calling her that?) was sent back in time to kill an infant Hitler. She bottled out at first, but then threw herself and the BLONDE baby off a brigde. Another nanny, terrified of PapaHitler, bought or stole a dark haired baby off a homeless Jewish or Gypsy woman, and presented him to PapaHitler who was too distracted to notice his childs sudden change in complexion and hair, and then of course raised him as is own, meaning the Hitler WE know, the dark short little despot, was actually a stolen baby while the real one was all dead and junk.

Back back on topic, I have heard of the brothers bloom but dont know what it's about and dont particularly care to find out, what I have seen and heard aboutit doesn't interest me.I SHALL be watching Brick later but thats a moot point

Posted by: Nadine at April 24, 2009 4:04 AM

hitmen who are sent their victims from the future.
Is this like Thursday Next whose father was murdered by a well timed knock on his parents door? As this is not murder for the hitmen it should be quite cheap, and you can pay them in information (stocks, horses). Nice.
There was also some webcomic where one of Hitlers guards began to wonder if they were really on the right side as he was quite worried about the number of time travellers trying to kill Hitler.

Posted by: ChrisD at April 24, 2009 4:44 AM

Why do those two guys have Sam and Dean haircuts?

Posted by: Tarn at April 24, 2009 5:49 AM

Isn't it wonderful that there's still a possibility that people will go see a movie depending on the "Written and Directed By" credit, as opposed to who's starring in it?

As for "Brothers Bloom", I was there the moment Brick ended. I too am the man's bitch. I will even make him a "sammich" should it be required of me.

Posted by: Doctor Controversy at April 24, 2009 8:44 AM

Movies about time travel make my head hurt.

Brick was awesome and I'll cut anybody that says otherwise.

Posted by: henchman for hire at April 24, 2009 9:26 AM

henchman for hire - Consider me sliced bread. I'm with Blair. Soooo booooring. But I find film noir to be pretentious nonsense, so what do I know?

Posted by: Kballs at April 24, 2009 2:28 PM

Pajiba

Pajiba: Reviews, Commentary, Angst

From High School Noir to Grosse Point Terminator

Comments