Ang Lee is eyeing the sci-fi thriller Gemini Man, about an assassin taking on his younger clone
Two decades after the project was first pitched to Walt Disney Pictures, the “unfilmable” sci-fi actioner Gemini Man appears to once again have a shot at the big screen. The Hollywood Reporter brings word today that Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee is now eyeing the Gemini Man director’s chair. The story involves an over-the-hill hitman forced to do battle with a younger clone of himself.
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Pitched by Darren Lemke (Goosebumps, Turbo) in 1997, Gemini Man was originally planned for the late Tony Scott to direct with Don Murphy producing. A later iteration would have seen the late Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile) directing while another put Joe Carnahan (The Grey, The A-Team) at the helm. Writers on the project have included David Benioff, Brian Helgeland and Andrew Niccol, with stars like Mel Gibson being eyed for the lead. A few years ago, Carnahan even uploaded a pitch reel for an iteration he was working on with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. As you can see in the player below, he envisioned Clint Eastwood in the leading role.
While films like Rian Johnson‘s Looper have dealt with similar plotlines, one of the reasons Gemini Man has had a hard time getting off the ground is because it has always intended to set a single actor in both roles, making use of cutting-edge visual effects. That certainly suits Ang Lee, who has recently been working with FX-heavy projects like Life of Pi, while pushing technological boundaries with HFR on his recent Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
Do you think that Ang Lee is the right director for Gemini Man? Who would you like to see play the leading roles? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
(Photo by Roy Rochlin / WireImage)
