Many will be familiar with the subject matter of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s latest cinematic venture. The Walk recounts the story of French daredevil and adrenaline junkie Philippe Petit, whose daring stunt of crossing the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in 1974 amounted to ‘the artistic crime of the century’.
Man on Wire, a documentary that featured Petit himself recounting his experience, won the Academy Award for best documentary in 2008. Now Gordon-Levitt will be challenging the adrenaline junkie (sporting a confident, if slightly overwrought French accent) in what looks to be a tension-rife dramatisation of Petit's story from director Robert Zemeckis.
Zemeckis, having already proved his hand for high-impact drama with his Back to the Future franchise as well a host of weighty, Oscar-clad movies (Forrest Gump, Castaway and most recently Flight), now hopes to revisit Man on Wire's story through the high-octane prism of the Hollywood silver screen.
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises, Don Jon), who plays Petit, has revealed details of his one-on-one research with the daredevil himself. According to Gordon-Levitt, Petit taught the actor to really walk a tightrope, in his own eccentric barn (built by Petit himself using nothing but eighteenth-century tools). Gordon-Levitt describes Petit as ‘a maniac…in the best possible way’.
Due for an October release in the UK,The Walk looks to be filled with vertigo-inducing camera set pieces, and with a planned release in 3D and at the IMAX, Zemeckis is clearly attempting to make the most of his medium.
Whilst his intention is clearly to reinvigorate Petit's story for a mainstream audience, whether fans of the original documentary will be disgruntled by this seemingly unnecessary dramatisation of an already captivating story remains to be seen.
| What | The Walk |
| Where | Various Locations | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Leicester Square (underground) |
| When |
02 Oct 15 – 31 Dec 15, 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM |
| Price | £ determined by cinema |
| Website | Click here to go to The Walk website. |
