Darren Aronofsky and Jared Leto, who previously collaborated on Requiem For A Dream, are teaming up again. This time it’s a thriller titled Adrift that’s in the works at Blumhouse.
The film is based on a short story of the same name by Koji Suzuki (The Ring). It takes place on the open sea and follows a fishing boat that discovers an abandoned yacht with a strange distress call. A deckhand agrees to take control of the yacht as it’s towed into port, but soon discovers why his more experienced crew members called it a Ghost Ship.
Reportedly, Leto has been trying to get this project off the ground for close to ten years. It’s unclear why he’s not been able to get it moving until now, but snagging a director of Aronofsky’s caliber certainly helps. The director is co-writing the script with Luke Dawson, and reportedly the project already has a number of potential buyers circling.
The timing of this announcement is intriguing, only because it was recently announced that Aronofsky has another film in the works – a drama with Brendan Fraser titled The Whale. However, that’s a contained drama that won’t require many sets, so it shouldn’t take up much of his time. Aronofsky will still direct that project first though, as production begins in March.
It’s unclear when filming on Adrift is expected to begin. Will Aronofsky shoot both movies back-to-back? Or will he want to totally complete the post-production process of The Whale before moving onto something else? Usually there have been solid gaps between his films, so this could mark a change in strategy.
While The Whale sounds more existential and philosophical – more akin to his 2006 film The Fountain – Adrift sounds firmly rooted in genre territory. It’s being described as a thriller, but most of Aronofsky’s thrillers dip their toes in the horror waters anyway, so expect this to be pretty chilling.
Whether either of these movies will encourage the sort of discourse mother! did is unknown, and probably unlikely considering the reaction to that film. But it’s good to see a talented and talked-about filmmaker like Aronofsky have multiple original projects in the works.
Leto still has superhero movie Morbius in the pipeline, but it’s now been delayed until January 21, 2022. He stars alongside Denzel Washington and Rami Malek in thriller The Little Things, which hits cinemas and HBO Max today.
#Peace.Love.Adrift
