Shooting kicks off on Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis

by Fabien Lemercier

27/05/2011 - There was media excitement this week when shooting started in Toronto on David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, an adaptation of renowned US author Don DeLillo’s homonymous novel. The French/Canadian co-production has a stellar cast including young Brit star Robert Pattinson (Twilight), France’s Juliette Binoche (who has just finished filming Life of Another), fellow French actor Mathieu Amalric, US actor Paul Giamatti, Brit thesp Samantha Morton, and Canada’s Sarah Gadon, Jay Baruchel and Kevin Durand.

Scripted by Cronenberg, the film centres on 28-year-old golden boy Eric Packer (Pattinson), who drives across New York with his chauffeur and bodyguard in his limousine-cum-office, because he wants to get his hair cut by the family hairdresser. But traffic is gridlocked due to an assassination threat against the US President.

Packer has endless appointments and meetings: with his new wife, his doctor, his mistresses, and his colleagues who warn him against a high-risk bet on the decline of the yen. While this currency unexpectedly rises in value, heralding the fall of the incredulous young millionaire’s financial empire, the city is in the throes of indescribable chaos: the anti-capitalists are calling for revolution, the funeral of a Sufi rapper turns into a mass public gathering and a pie-thrower strikes again.

Caught up in the turmoil of the stock market indicators, his memories and the street demonstrations, and obsessed by a killer’s threats, Packer starts to wander aimlessly, heading straight towards his certain end.

Produced by Paulo Branco for Alfama Films and by Canadian company Propspero Pictures, Cosmopolis is financed in association with Kinology (which is managing international sales), France 2 Cinéma, Talandracas, Telefilm Canada and Leopardo Films, with backing from Canal +, RAI Cinema and RTP.

Shooting will take place in Toronto and New York until July 21, with lensing by British DoP Peter Suschitzky. The score will be written by Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore.

(Translated from French)