Tuesday 2 June 2009

Luna - Jake Gyllenhaal as smart, obsessed, 'difficult' Cole Nealson?

The script - well, one of them - for UMP, the Unnamed Moon Project, has popped up, with the suggestion that it's the version penned by Doug Liman and Black Hawk Down screenwriter Mark Bowden. In other words, rewrite number 1 and script number 2. And it has the title of Luna.


You can read a full assessment of the plot here and also download it to read yourself. Obviously, it's spoilery, although as this is a rewite that is currently being rewritten I doubt that matters too much, it doesn't to me. From this, it appears that Jake Gyllenhaal's role would have been/is (and I quote) 'Cole Nealson. He wrote some sort of fuck-you doctoral thesis that lays out a stripped down, low-cost, high-risk Moon mission, complete with thrust vectors, orbital speeds, fuel ratios, escape geometry ... it appears to be the blueprint they’re following. He itemized ten things that would have to be stolen. NASA describes him as young, off-the charts smart, obsessed with the Moon, and “difficult.”'


Cole is an observer - dareIsay geek - whose cheap plan to land on the moon is stolen by a mysterious woman with an Eastern European accent and who finds himself regaining consciousness in the back of a rocket held together by double-sided sticky tape and shoelaces.

One wonders what the new scriptwriters are doing with it... and who would play Anya, the 'hot Eastern European woman' (except for Cate Blanchet of course).

Pictures from IHJ.

16 comments:

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Morning all! I'm interested to know what you all think of this :)

Have a lovely day!

BBMISwear said...

Good Morning!

First, thanks for the update on this movie that seems to have more changes pre-production than even Nailed has had mid/post-production!

Second, always love looking at adorable young Jake in October Sky!

Third, I have a hard time getting excited for this one as my mind is on Nailed, Brothers, PoP, the Joe Namath film and Damn Yankees. I just don't know if I can handle thinking about yet another movie Jake "might" be in. Man I wish we could just get some clarity on some of his work (both filmed and not yet filmed)!

Don't I sound a bit like a whiny little kid this morning?! LOL! Sorry!!

Thanks for the update though!

*will try to be more patient*

:-)

Carol said...

This sounds interesting but judging by what's happened so far with this project the final movie will probably be totally different.

Hope everyone is having a lovely sunny day:)

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Morning BBMISwear! I am totally bemused by the whole of UMP! I wish Jake did more projects that actually happen as they should :D I was intrigued by this plot though - notat all what I was expecting and I wonder how (or if!) it will end up.

I'm kinda wondering that about the Joe Namath movie too... I wish, wish, we had that clarity too! It's not easy. So I'm whiny too :D

But I did laugh at this plot! :-)

Hey Carol! The mind boggles how this one will end up. Thanks for commenting on the last post - I'm glad you enjoyed it :D

What a beautiful day!

TD said...

Hi WDW, I love sci fi and so loved the whole UMP/Luna prospect, but I have to agree I don't think it is very likely to happen, at least not in a recognizable form.
On another (more important) topic thank you so much for the Tum Post - I missed it so got two posts today, and wow that was a lingering treat! I can't help hoping Derriere Post will be with us shortly though..and hands..and chest and ...:p

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Hi TD! I love scifi too and I would love Jake to act in one, I really would. I'm finding this whole UMP thing frustrating but also, with a plot like this, rather amusing!

I'm glad to hear you lingered over the Tum :D More bits await...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update on the UMP. Honestly! I think by the time this is ready to shoot, Jake will be able to play the father of the main character. In fact, the latest rendering of this script makes me wonder whether October Sky!Jake would have been a more likely candidate. He is almost too old to play the part as it exists on the page (!) now.

bertie said...

A mysterious group of misfits is stealing rockets and boosters and, yes, even lunar landers from all over the world - even going so far as to leave "I.O.U.'s" in their wake. They appear to be a rogue collection of former space pilots and engineers led by a hot Eastern European woman named Anya. She's one of those "save the earth" type women...but on like a case of red bull. FBI and NASA officials find out that the group is following an outdated thesis project from an ex-NASA employee which proposes how to get to the moon at 1/10 the cost of any known mission. The author of this project is an Observation Center employee named Cole - a man who has no idea that any of this is going on.I think it sounds interesting; it has a Bourne spy-thriller feel to it.

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Hi Anon! Too true, I'm afraid! But that would be such a pity as I really want to see Jake in Space (although perhaps not thrown into the back of a rusty homemade rocket... I wanted shine and spandex)

Hey Bertie! I love that quote! I haven't had chance to read much of it yet. I've added a little snippet from that to the post. Who would we have play Anya? It sounds more of a thriller and action movie than I had thought it would be. I'm intrigued!

paulh said...

Having seen "Brothers Bloom" this weekend, I can only picture Anya as someone dark-haired like Natalie Portman or Rachel Weisz.

Also, can we somehow work Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey, Jr. into the plot too? I know that's a lot to ask, but it would pay off in larger audiences. :-)

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Hi Paul! I could definitely see Anya as Rachel Weisz :D I'm liking the idea of getting RDJ and Ruffalo in their too - RDJ a baddie perhaps (with or without the Eastern European Accent).

I love the idea of thinking how we should write the perfect plot/movie for Jake... Of course it would include our well-discussed obligatory naked shaving scene...

Anonymous said...

yes!!! to obsessed Jake.to difficult too.he was so cute in Zodiac.but that was more of nerdy obsessed there so maybe this time more of darkly obsessed.

i hope he drops from that Joe Namath project though.sports biopic...ugh.no.

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Absolutely Anon! I loved Jake in Zodiac - my favourite role for him (although it does do battle with Jack Twist). I too would much rather see Jake in Luna than in the Joe Namath movie, although I fear that's partly because I don't have much interest in American football, or sports biopics generally. Not a movie for European audiences. Jake in Space is universal.

Anonymous said...

lol.exactly.that's my reason too.american football- i'll never get it.
and i find biopics generally boring.there are very little that i liked.

my fave role of Jake would be Jack Twist and Donnie Darko.i love them both sfm.i can't decide between them but Jack slightly leads.

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Oh yes, Jake's done a few roles, Anon, that we won't forget - Graysmith, Twist, Donnie, Swoff, in particular. We're very lucky. I'm ready for another name to add to the list, but possibly not one from a sports biopic :D I'm very happy to be proved wrong though!

Anonymous said...

how can you forget Jimmy the bubble boy!=P lol i love that movie.