Well, this is intriguing. Many years ago, Zemeckis began to see the potential of motion and performance capture and advanced the process to an exceptional degree in his films Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. He eventually said that he had turned his back on live action and would likely work within performance capture for the rest of his career.
At the time, this was troubling news indeed. Although the quality and technical proficiency of his performance-capture films was mightily impressive, his live-action canon contained the Back To The Future trilogy, Romancing the Stone, Contact, What Lies Beneath, Forrest Gump and Cast Away. Clearly this was an extraordinarily gifted director of live-action features, turning his back on a medium to which he had so much still to offer.
All my not be lost. Deadline are carrying an exclusive that Zemeckis is at the centre of a pitch to Warner Bros for a live-action, time travel feature film called “Timeless”, described as a “big, tentpole picture”. It is being produced (although not necessarily directed) by Zemeckis and written by Mike Thompson. Ever since Disney shut down its ImageMovers facility in Marin County, he has been snuggling up to Warner Bros, even to the point of a rumoured interest in directing the forthcoming Superman reboot, Man of Steel.
Frankly, I would love to see Zemeckis back doing live action. His CG films have been mightily impressive, technically accomplished feasts for the eyes, but there has been at times something a little soulless about the performance capture process. Rather than simply trying to overcome the technical hurdles, maybe it is time to go Back To his roots with an action-packed, effects laden, time travel film. Sounds familiar.
