Let me get this straight. Jon Favreau wants to combine the old school western film with that of the original science fiction? Favreau also wants to put Daniel Craig (James Bond) and Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones) in the same movie?
Now knowing that, I have to ask…is he really going to make us all wait until July 29, 2011 to feast our eyes on the theatrical release of Cowboys & Aliens? Awww man!
Well, that’s exactly what he plans on doing as he takes the relatively unknown comic book and turns it into a feature film. Favreau was at the San Diego Comic Con and brought with him about ten minutes worth of footage which is remarkable considering they’ve only been filming about a month. The film, which will not be released in 3D at all, also stars Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, and Adam Beach.
Collider was nice enough to give a rundown of the footage shown at SDCC, be warned of spoilers from here forward:
The first scene started with Craig riding into town on a horse. It looked very classic Western in every way. He walks into a building and begins washing his face and we notice that he’s wounded. He begins to wash the wound when a gun is pointed at the back of his hear. “Only two kinds of people get shot – criminals and victims, which one are you?” Cut.
Craig’s character is in jail in the second scene alongside Paul Dano. He slams him into the jail cell because they had some kind of issue. The sheriff takes them both out to move them when a posse comes into town, lead by Harrison Ford, who is Dano’s father. He wants Craig’s character right now because he stole his gold but just as the situation begins to get hairy, a mysterious line of lights appears on the horizon. Everyone begins to stare. And then, they begin to shoot the crap out of the town. Explosions everywhere. The wagon cracks open and Craig comes out. Earlier we noticed he was wearing a mysterious bracelet and now it’s lit up. He stands on the street, points it up, and shoots down the spaceship which crashes into the middle of town. Ford’s character walks up, looks at Craig’s character, the bracelet closes and the scene ends.
That just sounds incredibly awesome to me and I can’t wait to see what else Favreau will be bringing to the table. Below you can view the official synopsis release for the plot:
Blockbuster filmmaker Jon Favreau directs Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in an event film for summer 2011 that crosses the classic Western with the alien-invasion movie in a blazingly original way: Cowboys & Aliens. Joined by an arsenal of top moviemakers—Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci—he brings an all-new action thriller that will take audiences into the Old West, where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world.
1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear.
But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.
Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.
The script for Cowboys & Aliens is by Star Trek’s Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof (television’s Lost), based on Platinum Studios’ graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Grazer, Howard, Rosenberg, Kurtzman and Orci produce. Spielberg and Denis L. Stewart executive produce.
Credit: Collider
