Returning to the London Film Festival with his sophomore feature, Richard Ayoade’s The Double is by far one of the most memorable films you’ll see this year. It really stays with you after you’ve left the cinema, and all too often that isn’t the case.
Taking Dostoyevsky’s original novel of the same name as its inspiration, the film is led by brilliant performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska. And in celebration of the film’s appearance at the festival over the weekend, StudioCanal has launched the first character posters, via Empire, giving us a look at the leading duo.
Simon is a timid man, scratching out an isolated existence in an indifferent world. He is overlooked at work, scorned by his mother, and ignored by the woman of his dreams. He feels powerless to change any of these things. The arrival of a new co-worker, James, serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon’s exact physical double and his opposite – confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon’s horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.
Eisenberg and Wasikowska are joined by a stellar cast, led by Wallace Shawn, Noah Taylor, and Yasmin Paige, with a slew of great cameos, including Chris O’Dowd, Craig Roberts, James Fox, Paddy Considine, and Sally Hawkins.
Ayoade is directing from a script he co-wrote with Avi Korine (Mister Lonely), Harmony Korine’s brother. And to top it all off, Michael Caine is amongst the executive producers.
The Double remains without a release date on either side of the Atlantic, but here’s to hoping that it will surface on both before the year is out. And if you missed it, be sure to catch up on the first trailer here.
