One of the things that I find a lot of fun about following an actor is the speculation about forthcoming projects. This is especially true when you follow Jake Gyllenhaal, because he has reached that point in his career when really he could do just about anything and could go off in any kind of direction, mixing it up to varying degrees, constantly surprising, possibly making us scratch our heads when we hear of some roles, but delivering performances he believes in, in projects he believes in.
The rumours that pop up now and again about Jake's future roles are fascinating - sometimes they even turn out to be true even if the rumour tag hangs on to the last minute (Nailed, of course). Others, such as The Unnamed Moon Project, are announced early on and then kind of fade away, disappointingly to a scifi fan such as myself, at least for the time being. The Joe Namath project was another surprise and, at this stage, seems a long way off (just as well, maybe, with Jake's poor ankle as it is).
Other rumours have fallen by the wayside - mostly and strangely coincidentally involving superheroes - Superman, Spider-Man, the Green Hornet, one half of the Wonder Twins (with Maggie) in the Justice League of America, even Two-Face in The Dark Knight. And now the latest one to pop up - The Lone Ranger! It certainly does seem that studios and maybe audiences and maybe Jake himself have a desire to see Jake kitted out in spandex and mask, saving us from evil beyond our imagination while rippling some muscles honed to perfection.
This particular instalment of the Superhero Jake adventure has the producers of the Pirates of Caribbean franchise 'focus on the hero's origin story, where a group of Texas Rangers are ambushed and slain by outlaws. An American Indian named Tonto finds a lone survivor, and together, they make a pact to bring the gang to justice. No cast or crew have been named as yet, but the likes of Brad Pitt, Jake Gyllenhaal and Casey Affleck are rumoured as contenders for the title role.'
If nothing else, this shows that Jake is in that privileged and small circle of Hollywood actors, who are top choices for the most successful of directors and producers intent on making a blockbuster. Alternatively, these actors can prefer to make a film to make us think. Or they can do both - ideally, at the same time.
Another film that Jake has been associated with in the past - to the extent that he was seen with what looked like the name of the film etched down his forearm - is Torso. This serial killer movie is a future project for David Fincher. opinion is divided on whether Jake should work with Fincher again or not after the experiences of Zodiac. However, as someone who believes that Zodiac contains some of Jake's finest work, I would welcome this reunion. However, maybe Jake thinks differently, because Matt Damon's is the last name associated with the role of Eliot Ness. More recently [and I can't locate the link at the moment], it looks like no names are attached even though the movie has the go ahead.
Back in 2006, Jake was also associated with The Sparrow. This project, which tells the story of a 'Jesuit priest [who] accompanies a space crew to a distant planet after Earth receives its first contact from aliens' has Brad Pitt for a producer and Brad himself is now rumoured to be the lead in this film - now put back to 2010. Interestingly, Matt Damon had also been associated with this project, alongside Jake's. It all makes it very interesting.
And finally
A shameless plug for the new album - Red - by the Guillemots, a band favoured by Jake and one I have mentioned here before. Jake has been spotted watching the Guillemots' amazing and unusual gigs (it has been said said that you see a Guillemots' show and at the end you want to hug the person next to you) and at Glastonbury 2007, the band were asked about their famous fan: 'F.D. Jake Gyllenhaal was nice. Very shy. Didn't seem like a movie star in his hoodie… G.S.: …But he did have a girl with him. F.D.: And he was very cool. He told us he sang along to our songs in his car… Strange.' Not strange at all. What was slightly stranger was hearing that much of this album was recorded in a London synagogue. - this is an album with a loud heart and brave acoustics that makes you want to listen to it over and over again.
Thanks to Monica for the link. Includes pictures from IHJ.
