In what could prove to be the perfect coming together of two distinct and celebrated voices, Alexander Payne is planning on bringing the world of writer/artist Daniel Clowes back to the big screen once more.
The Sideways auteur will breathe cinematic life into Clowes’ graphic novel Wilson (scripted by the writer himself), with filming due to commence next April. The story of a middle-aged recluse who attempts to reconnect with his ex-wife after his father dies, and gets more than he bargained for (in the form of a daughter he was previously unaware of ), Payne has been toying with the project for a year or two now.
With his new feature, The Descendants tipped for Oscar glory, it’s good to see that the director won’t be repeating the same eight-year time gap between features, and Clowes’ masterful grasp of character and the pathos found through humour and imperfection is very similar to that of Payne’s previous work (Wilson should present an interesting companion piece to About Schmidt).
Clowes’ work has previously experienced somewhat of a hit and miss time on the big screen (Ghost World and Art School Confidential, respectively) but the signs are certainly good here, and Payne’s intention of shooting in black-and-white is further testament to his plans of producing a faithful vision of the original text.
Via Empire.
