14 DAY TRIAL // Last week, 20th Century Fox released the first official trailer for “The Revenant,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, directed by Oscar-winning Alejandro G. Inarritu. Inarritu is coming off the success of “Birdman” last year, and the fact that he managed to get 2 of the most talented and popular actors of the moment on board for his next project has turned it into a must-see.
The first trailer (also available below) got almost 12 million views in under a week, so yes, hype for the film is building fast. The impressive technical feat that was making it is also making headlines: Inarritu set out to make a movie without green screens (and CGI) and using only natural light.
To boot, “The Revenant” will also show a side of DiCaprio the fans are yet to see.
DiCaprio barely says a few words in the entire movie
“The Revenant” has been in production for many years, both because of weather conditions that didn’t allow Inarritu to shoot it his way and because he had the original actors drop out and he started looking for replacements.
He needed actors who could carry the part, and not just in terms of acting ability: he needed actors who could withstand the harsh weather and working under very strict conditions that enabled him to get the scene in natural light, as he wanted.
For the lead, real-life hunter Hugh Glass, he also needed someone who could deliver a solid performance without saying too much. So, we will get a DiCaprio role where he barely has any lines, which DiCaprio himself admits to Grantland was a huge challenge.
“I’ve played a lot of very vocal characters. It’s something that I really wanted to investigate - playing a character that says almost nothing. How do you relay an emotional journey and get in tune with this man’s angst… without words?” DiCaprio says.
This is an actor that’s been snubbed by the Academy for an Oscar too many times to count. Fans will definitely lose it if he delivers as good a performance as he promises and he gets no love again.
The ending hasn’t been shot yet
The film is scheduled for a limited December release and Inarritu is still busy editing it. Proof that this project is not your typical Hollywood release is also the fact that it doesn’t have an ending yet.
In the same interview, the writer / director explains that the set in Calgary has become unfit for the ending, because the ending needs snow. So they’re relocating near the South Pole with all the equipment and the cast to get that final scene.
Don’t worry, though, Inarritu is positive the film will be done in time, with no delay in the release schedule.
