Kilmer out, Quinn in for Dark role
Val Kilmer has had to jump ship from what could’ve been one of his most interesting projects of late (he has a bit of a reputation for missing out on plum roles – some his fault, some not – like Patrick Swayze’s role in “Dirty Dancing”, a major part in “Blue Velvet” and “Indecent Proposal”) but this time, it couldn’t be helped. The one-time Batman has split from the film “Dark Matter”, an anticipated new drama he was about to start filming with Meryl Streep. It’s believed a scheduling conflict – reportedly it clashed with Kilmer’s new mini-series "Comanche Moon" - is responsible for the departure.
At the 11th hour, producers have sought out Aidan Quinn – just as good an actor, in my opinion – who will take over for the “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” star in the movie.
“It is a blessing to have an actor I’ve long admired, Aidan Quinn, join our production in such an important role” said director Chen Shi-Zheng, who co-wrote the story with Billy Shebar, the films screenwriter.
The actor, whose credits include “Legends of the Fall” and “Stakeout”, will play a science professor in the film, which fixes on a brilliant Chinese science student, who strives to impress his mentor Jacob Reiser (Quinn) with his theories on the origins of the universe.
Streep plays a patron of the university with a passion for all things Chinese, Blair Brown and Chinese star Liu Ye round out the cast.
“Dark Matter is a cross-cultural story, a sort of Spaghetti Eastern” explains Chen Shi-Zheng. “It is about what happens when people from different cultures interact in a highly competitive environment, and the roller coaster ride of excitement, anxiety, and missed opportunity those interactions bring about
“Dark Matter is a cross-cultural story, a sort of Spaghetti Eastern” explains Chen Shi-Zheng. “It is about what happens when people from different cultures interact in a highly competitive environment, and the roller coaster ride of excitement, anxiety, and missed opportunity those interactions bring about
