Back in April we told you that Dan Trachtenberg landed a pretty great gig after his short film Portal: No Escape got a lot of attention (watch it below). That gig we are talking about is his directorial debut VALENCIA for J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot and Paramount which has now landed the great John Goodman to star. Any Goodman news is worth reporting even when details about the project are being kept under wraps (it is Abrams after all).
The only plot details we know so far are:
The majority of the movie takes place in an underground cellar, home to a teenage girl and a caretaker. The girl woke up in the cellar after a car accident, at which point her eerie companion tells her a nuclear attack has devastated society. The girl still hopes to escape.
The plot seems to take a few pointers from Trachtenberg’s Portal short, so perhaps he's finishing what he started with this one. Goodman, who has proven time and time again that he can take on any role and make it his own is said to be playing the caretaker. My immediate thinking is that Goodman will play a deceiving psychopath who sweats and shouts a lot, and that’s awesome. But hell if I don’t like to see a lovable and caring Goodman on screen too. I’m torn!
Filming on VALENCIA is expected to begin filming this fall; we will keep you posted on more casting and plot details as they arrive.