Yesterday Paramount showed a new look at the upcoming sci-fi thriller GEMINI MAN from director Ang Lee, wherein they explored the fascinating visual effects technology behind making a younger, faster double of the movie's star, Will Smith. I have no idea how it works, but the end result makes for some bonkers action filmmaking, and the new trailer for the movie highlights even more of the craziness with slicker action, and more scenes than ever of Smith hitting himself with fists, kicks, and dirtbike wheels. How do you tell someone to stop hitting themselves when clearly they need to hit themselves in order to survive? Sort of takes the fun out of it.
The trailer certainly doubles down on all the action from the last one (which all happens to be set to Jaden Smith's "Icon"), which of course is going to be the whole reason to see this movie on the big screen. How does it look when Smith is throwing down with a CGI version of himself? Will it look choppy or seamless? Will there be too many VFX shots worked in that make it all look a bit too over-produced? On the non-action side, how does Smith act against himself in the scenes where they aren't hitting each other? We get a taste of some older generation put-downs, which is a bit funny. Do you think he will give his younger self advice about the future (*cough* WILD WILD WEST *cough*)? All of these questions make the movie seem a bit too interesting to ignore, even if I think the story doesn't look like it will live up to its technical achievements.
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Written by David Benioff (GAME OF THRONES), Billy Ray (CAPTAIN PHILLIPS) and Darren Lemke (SHAZAM!), and also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong (both of whom get in on the action here) and Clive Owen (who rocks the dope villain collars here).
Here's the synopsis:
Gemini Man is an innovative action-thriller starring Will Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin, who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious young operative that seemingly can predict his every move.
GEMINI MAN is in theaters October 11.